


Across Realities

by BladeOfRain



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2020-09-02 03:10:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 47,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20269051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BladeOfRain/pseuds/BladeOfRain
Summary: Eren stands on Paradis Island as its saviour yet he could not help but question if the sacrifices he had made was worth it. They were free, but his demons still haunted him. He was ready to let go but a second chance sparks hope inside him, hope that he had not felt for a long time. In this new reality, he strives to protect those he had lost without losing himself to his past.





	1. Free but Broken

**A/N ** **I hope you enjoy this story! I'm not much of a writer but I just wanted to put the idea of alternate realities out there in this fandom.**

**01/01/2020 - Improved the writing and slight changes. You may re-read but the start remains the same, so you don't have to.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Free but Broken**

"This is it… We are free…" Eren whispered to himself. His head was raised and his eyes were open as droplets of rain fell on his face, every drop calming him. He had done it, after all these years he had finally reached the end. He now held all nine Titan powers; allowing him to seal himself away forever, so that these powers can never bring hell upon this world again.

'_But at what cost,'_ His head dropped as pain gripped his heart; he had lost so much on this journey, he couldn't help but question whether it was worth all this pain. He was at the end of his tenure as a Titan shifter; the Curse of Ymir will take him soon, but he had finally accomplished what he set out to do all those years ago; to wipe Titans off the face of the world and save Paradis Island.

Paradis Island finally knew peace, Eldians around the world lived in freedom. This was what he wanted right? So why did he feel so empty inside? Eren knew the answer to that question; _they_ were gone.

He fell on his knees, sobbing quietly_. 'Mikasa… Armin… I miss you guys so much… I wish we could be together again, just the three of us, one more time. It's all I want…' _his shoulders shook as his grief, regret, anger, everything that he had been holding in was finally let loose. The last seven years finally catching up to him. The faces of innocents, friends, comrades... all those deaths, he wished he could stop seeing them.

He closed his eyes, his mind thinking back to _that_ day...

_Flashback_

_Eren had just defeated Reiner, Porco, and Pieck. He now held their powers within him, his goal was within reaching distance. The last four years have been leading up to this day. Since wiping Paradis Island clean from Titans, this was his best chance to gather the rest of the Titans, so that Marley did not have their powers, and begin the healing process that will bring Paradis Island freedom. Only one Titan left, the Beast Titan._

_He looked to his right and watched as Zeke, the Beast Titan, made quick work of the rest of the Marleyan troops. With the Beast Titan's throwing ability, the Blimps stood no chance as they were too slow and took every projectile thrown by Zeke. This was his chance; he had put up this act long enough now. He had made hard choices; he had put his friends in a cell; he had pushed Mikasa and Armin away; he had killed innocents and today; he let go of his humanity and became a monster, the fruits of those sacrifices were finally going to bloom. He did all this for the sake of freedom, and this was his chance to take that freedom, he must make it count._

'_This is it,' Eren thought._

_With a mighty roar, Eren created a sword with his War Hammer ability and swung it at Zeke, aiming for his neck. Luckily for Zeke, he had pulled his attention away from the Marleyan troops just in time as the sword just barely missed his head as Zeke ducked, but the small victory was short-lived as he was met with a jaw breaking knee that sent him flying in the opposite direction._

"_Eren, you traitor…" growled Zeke. He stood up, his beastly eyes filled with rage as he raised his head and screamed. Explosions were head all around Shiganshina as humans were forcibly transformed into Titans._

_Eren roared and swung at Zeke relentlessly, who kept shifting backwards; barely dodging each swing. Eventually, one of Eren's swings catches Zeke, decapitating one of his arms. With a roar, the Beast Titan made a run for it. Eren chased after him, his slightly smaller and more agile Titan catching up easily. When Eren was just about to grab Zeke, he was struck by an unexpected backhand, which sent him flying backwards until his trajectory was stopped by colliding with a building. Using this opportunity, Zeke grabbed a chunk off of a building, balling it up into a ball and threw it with his long arms. The chunk split into smaller bits as zoomed towards Eren._

_Eren's eyes widened as the pieces took chunks of various parts of his body, the force of the impact sent him flying back once again. When he was finally able to raise his head, Zeke was halfway up the wall. With a roar, he created a spear with his War Hammer ability. With a small run up, he launched it at Zeke._

_Zeke's eyes widened when he looked back upon hearing Eren's roar, the spear was flying at him at blistering speed. With a mighty lunge, he jumped to another part of the wall, one of his hands slamming into the wall to regain grip before making his escape._

'_Eren, I'll be back for you,' Zeke thought when he glanced once more at Eren before leaving._

_After Zeke disappeared from Eren's view, he looked up just in time to see the Marleyan blimps retreat. He was about to run after them until his vision caught the rubble of the building where he kept his friends and comrades locked up. There were mindless Titans all over the rubble, eating anybody that was alive._

'_Mikasa! Armin! No... no no no,' Eren panicked._

_He sprinted over, dispatching any mindless Titans in his way. Eren desperately searched the rubble for his friends and comrades. Then he saw them, bloodied and unconscious. Gently, he picked up Mikasa, Armin, and Jean's bodies and laid them on the ground, away from the rubble. Connie was nowhere to be seen._

_Mikasa's stomach was pierced, blood covered her face. Her eyes were closed and her lips a deathly blue. Her breathing was laboured as her body fought for every breath. Both of Armin's legs have been bitten off but was regenerating slowly. Jean was bloody, his arm was broken but had no obvious signs of life endangering injuries._

_Eren quickly made his way out of his Titan and got on his knees next to Mikasa, panic gripped his heart as his hands shook. Tears were leaking from his eyes but he did not feel them, he just needed to know Mikasa was okay._

"_Mikasa…" Eren sobbed, grabbing her broken body and pulling her close to his chest._

_Her eyes fluttered open. Even in this state, it pained her to see Eren in so much pain. He shouldn't be crying, not over her. She knew she was dying; how could she possibly survive this? It was only a matter of time._

"_Eren… I'm sorry…" her voice was raspy as she spoke. Her eyelids kept drooping as she fought against the abyss that threatened to consume her._

_Eren tightened his hold on her, he couldn't lose her, he wasn't ready to live without her._

"_Please don't leave me… I'm sorry for everything… Please Mikasa," Eren begged as he rocked her against him, his eyes were closed as he begged and begged, he couldn't lose her._

_Mikasa smiled sadly, she never found out why Eren said those things to her but no matter what he said, she loved him and that was the only truth that mattered. She had always trusted him, maybe that came into question recently, but never once has she stopped loving him._

"_I'll always be by your side," Mikasa said, her trembling hands reached up to touch his face one last time. "I'll always protect you. Just… don't forget about me, okay?"_

_Eren shook his head as he muttered words of denial, this can't be happening to him, he had already lost so much. His eyes widened a little as Mikasa wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close._

"_Please… Just give me this," Mikasa whispered, tears now rolling down her cheeks as she pulled him closer to her. Gently, their lips met in a kiss, their first kiss and their last. Mikasa's eyes closed as she felt Eren's lips move against hers._

_Slowly, they parted and Mikasa looked up to see Eren's shocked expression._

"_I love you Eren," she whispered, tears flowed down her cheeks as the realisation that she will never have a future with Eren finally settled in her mind. It was all being taken away from her. The world was cruel. She looked up at him, 'But so beautiful at the same time'._

_Eren's eyes widened at this confession, Mikasa loved him? 'What…' Eren thought._

"_I…" Eren stuttered. 'What do I say?' he mused._

"_You don't have to say it back, just… just hold me a little while longer," Mikasa whispered, her voice trailed off as her eyes closed and her breathing slowed. She knew she had seconds left but she didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay here and fight with her friends and stay with Eren. Why was it being taken from her? Why?_

_Eren pulled her close, his chin rested on top of her head as he cried silently._

_'Please don't go,' he repeated in his mind._

"_I love you too Mikasa," Eren whispered, desperation evident in his trembling voice. __"Don't leave me..."_

_He wasn't sure what those words meant; he didn't know in what way he loved Mikasa, but he loved her and that was all that mattered._

_Mikasa smiled and pulled him closer to her with the little strength she had left. Soon after, Mikasa Ackerman took her last breath. Eren continued to cry, clinging on to her unmoving body desperately. What has he done?_

_'This was all my fault…' Eren thought to himself._

"_Eren?" Armin said, gaining consciousness. Jean woke right next to him, having gained consciousness too._

_Eren's head slowly turned to look at Armin, Mikasa still in his arms, unmoving. Tears formed at Armin's eyes as he saw his childhood friend lie unmoving in Eren's arms. Jean's hand clenched into fists tightly as he looked down at the ground, tears of pain falling from his face as another person important to him was taken away. Another friend, another comrade gone, just like that._

"_I'm sorry Armin... Mikasa's gone. It's all my fucking fault!" Eren shouted, tears rolled down his cheeks as he shook and cried, pulling Mikasa close._

_Flashback end_

After that fateful day, he had, in his anger, broken Annie free from her crystal prison using the Jaw Titan ability, and devoured a confused Annie, who only had a moment to realise what was going on before all her thoughts were wiped from the world. It wasn't long after that where the Survey Corps battled Zeke once again; the battle proved costly as Armin suffered considerable damage at the hands of Zeke. When he was on the verge of death, he begged Eren to eat him so that they did not lose the Colossal. He had lost his other childhood friend that day, his thirst for revenge grew.

He suffered defeat after defeat to his brother until one day someone knocked some sense into him and made him realise that fighting for revenge will always lead to defeat. From that day on, Eren fought for the future. He could never thank that person enough for changing him for the better; that person was Jean Kirstein. Not long after that, Eren battled Zeke with a strength that he never thought he had and he won, even if it was just by the skin of his teeth. Eren worked relentlessly throughout the years after that fateful battle and successfully brought peace and freedom to Paradis Island, though he knew it would not last forever, that was the downfall of human nature.

"Eren?"

Eren whipped his head around, snapped out of his thoughts.

"Jean, what is it?" replied Eren.

"Have you been… crying?" Jean asked tentatively, noticing the tear streaks on Eren's face.

"No, no… I… I just miss them you know," Eren replied.

Jean looked at him sadly. "I understand," Jean said as he laid a hand on Eren's shoulder, giving him a comforting squeeze. "I miss them too."

Throughout the years, Eren and Jean grew closer as Comrades and eventually becoming friends. A friendship built up from loss and suffering. Who would have thought when they started Cadet training that Jean and Eren would be the final ones, from 104th Cadet Corps, standing? Definitely not Eren or Jean but here they are now, standing side by side as comrades, friends, survivors.

"I think it's time," Eren said suddenly. "I'm ready to end this."

"You know what Yeager?" Jean said, a soft smile gracing his face.

"What?" Eren said, confusion laced in his voice.

"I'll fucking miss you," Jean said, chuckling to himself. "Who would have thought? After all these years, it would be you and me."

Eren started chuckling. "I know what you mean. Do you remember all those fights we had?" Eren said, fondly remembering all those arguments, how he missed those days, it was so much simpler. His friends were still alive, Jean and himself always at each other's throats, those were the good times.

"Yeah…" Jean said, also remembering those years.

Eren put his right arm out, looking at Jean expectantly. Jean grasped his arm with his own.

"Thank you. Before I go, I just wanted to say thank you, Jean. Thank you for being my friend and comrade. Together, we made sure our friends' deaths were not in vain. Thank you," Eren said.

Jean looked at him, smiling sadly. "And thank you for saving the world."

Eren smiled sadly. "Let's go, we've wasted enough time."

Quietly, they both made their way towards the Titan Forest, where the rest of the Survey Corps was waiting. His final resting place.

* * *

Eren and Jean rode towards the centre of the Titan Forest. Upon seeing the entire Survey Corps surrounding the area, their fists on their hearts in a salute as a sign of respect to the two war-torn Heroes.

Eren and Jean got off their horses. Eren walked into the centre, every eye on him. He slammed his fist on his heart in a salute, looking around, nodding at all his comrades.

"Before I go, I want to say Thank you all. Without every single one of you here, without all the comrades we have lost over the years, without the Survey Corps, this day would not be possible. We are the Heroes of Paradis Island!" Eren shouted, with fire in his eyes.

The Survey Corps cheered in response to his words.

"Thank you, Captain Yeager!"

"We wish you the best, Captain Yeager!"

"Good luck, Captain Yeager!"

It wasn't long before the crowd quieted down.

"For Freedom!" Eren screamed before biting down on his hand, the surrounding soldiers shouted the same words in response as a bright light blinded them and lighting struck where Eren stood.

As their vision cleared, a 15-meter Titan stood in the centre. The Attack Titan. Eren leaned his head back, his Titans mouth opening before letting out a mighty roar one last time as his body started to Crystallise.

Jean looked at the now frozen form of Eren's Titan sadly. He slammed his fist against his chest in, what will be, his final salute to Eren Yeager as a tear slowly made its way down his cheek. _'You will never be forgotten.'_

* * *

Eren woke up with a gasp. Looking around, he saw light coloured soil with wispy, cloud-like trails of light in the sky. _'This must be it, the Paths realm...'_ Eren thought to himself.

"We finally meet, Eren Yeager."

Whipping his head around, his eyes widened as he saw a young girl wearing white robes, with blonde hair staring at him.

"Who are you?" Eren asked.

She smiled. "I am Ymir Fritz," she replied.

His eyes widened at this, _'She's the Original…'_ Eren thought to himself.

"I've been following you ever since you came across these powers Eren Yeager. So much suffering… So much sadness in such a short life," she said, looking at him sadly.

Eren remained silent upon hearing those words.

"As the first person to reunite the Titans, I can give you a choice. Look at it as a favour," she said.

"What do you mean? Choice? How can I have a choice? Am I not dead?" he asked, confused.

"Normally, this would be the case and you would rest here for eternity just like all the Titan shifters that came before you. However, you died while holding all 9 Titans. You have returned them to me. This has never happened in nearly 2,000 years. With the complete power of the Titans returned to me, I can give you a choice. As a thank you," she answered.

He opened his mouth to respond. Ymir put a hand up, quieting Eren.

"It is simple. You may decide to rest here, free from your pain for eternity." she started. "Or I can send you to another… Universe, another life. Most things will be similar in this other universe, but a certain event separates this other universe with this one," she finished.

Eren's eyes widened at this. _'A new life? Does that mean I get to see Mikasa and Armin again, my friends… everyone? But what event is she talking about? What is different?'_

"What is different in this other universe? What event are you talking about?" Eren asked, curious to know.

"In this new universe, their Eren Yeager suffered a mortal wound in the battle against Annie Leonhart in the Stohess District raid. The Survey Corps, however, did successfully capture Annie Leonhart but their Eren Yeager fell into a coma because of a head injury he suffered in the battle. You will arrive the moment their Eren Yeager dies, you will be yourself but your body will be what it was during year 850, you will keep your memories, you will gain their Eren's Attack Titan and Founding Titan," she explained.

"So, the choice is- "

"I'll do it," Eren said instantly, interrupting her.

Ymir just smiled, expecting this answer from him.

"Give me your hand," she said.

Eren held his hand out to her. Grabbing it, she traced across his palm with a knife she seemed to have retrieved from thin air. Eren winced as his palm was cut open. His eyes widened as a golden mist seemed to seep out of the cut and made its way towards Ymir Fritz as she slowly breathed the golden mist in.

As soon as the golden mist seemed to run out, she sighed. Slowly backing away from Eren, she looked at him and smiled, her eyes golden, flaring like the Sun.

"Thank you for returning this power to me," she said.

Eren nodded at her.

"Good luck and I hope you find the happiness that you long for," she said as she raised her hand, her palm pointing at Eren as the same golden mist that came out of his palm surrounded him like a whirlwind. With a boom, blinding lightning struck Eren and then silence.

* * *

"Eren!" Mikasa screamed as she saw Eren forcibly removed from his Titan by Annie before being flung towards a wall. Mikasa watched in horror as she saw Eren's head collide with the wall, blood now splattered across the wall material as Eren fell lifelessly to the ground.

"No!" she screamed. "You will die Annie!" her eyes flashed dangerously as her grip on her blades tightened. Rage filled her body like an uncontrollable fire as she burst forward towards the Female Titan.

With great agility and inhuman speed, she swung around the Female Titan in pure rage using her ODM gear, slicing and cutting at her legs and arms. Immobilising the Female Titan within seconds. The Female Titan, in her panic, did not notice Humanities Strongest Soldier, Levi Ackerman, come from behind at inhuman speeds, as a result; her nape was sliced and the last thing Annie's panicked eyes saw from her Titan's eyes was the rage behind Mikasa's stormy grey eyes before she was pulled out.

Levi grabbed Annie, throwing her to the ground. With no hesitation, he swung his blade and sliced off both of Annie's arms. She screamed in pain and cowered in fear as she stared up at Levi, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Take her away," Levi ordered nearby soldiers. He looked around for Mikasa, then he saw her, running towards the unconscious form of Eren. Sighing, he made his way over. _'This brat better be okay'_.

_'Please be okay Eren…'_ Mikasa thought desperately as she dropped her blades and ran as fast as she could towards the limp form of Eren, bleeding from his head.

Desperately, she gathered Eren in her arms whose breaths were shallow; she pressed her head against his chest and silently begged that his heart was still beating as she listened.

_Thump-thump Thump-thump Thump-thump_

Just like before, tears gathered in her eyes as a small feeling of relief washed over her body. It was slow but it was a heartbeat; he was alive. With all her strength, she picked Eren up in her arms and made her way towards the rest of the Survey Corps that has gathered around the decaying Female Titan, quietly sobbing the whole way.

"Help!" she shouted as she got closer. She dropped to her knees, sobbing as she clutched Eren to her chest.

Seeing this, Levi quickly made his way towards the sobbing Mikasa. Upon seeing Eren's injuries; the excessive bleeding from the head, shallow breathing, probably a few broken ribs from that throw. One thought went through Levi's mind, _'Shit.'_

"Hange! We need medics, quick!" Levi shouted.

* * *

It has been one month since Eren fell into a coma. During that time, it was revealed Krista Lenz was Historia Reiss. Ymir was discovered to be another Titan shifter but was captured by Reiner and Bertolt after they revealed their identities to her and attacked the Survey Corps on Wall Rose. The Survey Corps were forced to hide as the government tried to plot against them.

So here they were, the new Squad Levi; consisting of Jean, Sasha, Connie, Armin, Mikasa, and Historia. Currently residing in a hideout, an abandoned cottage far away from the population, away from the First Interior Squad, away from the watchful eyes of the Government.

Eren lied unconscious in one of the rooms, as he had done so since the Stohess District Raid. No signs of improvement. With every passing day, the chance of him regaining consciousness slowly slither away, the hope for humanity slowly going with it.

Next to his bed, sat Mikasa. Her hands desperately held onto Eren's, clinging on to him like a lifeline, scared to let go. Her eyes were full of fear, cheeks marked with dried tears. The thought of losing Eren haunted her mind every night and it's killing her. How could she cope? All she wanted is to be with him and now all she could do sit there and cry.

'_The world is cruel,'_ she thought to herself as she looked at Eren. His face looked so peaceful, so different from the angry look he always wore nowadays. She hasn't seen him look so peaceful since that fateful day five years ago.

'_Please come back to me…' _Mikasa begged in her mind again and again. Her hand tightening around Eren's. Her head dropped as another tear rolled down her cheeks.

"Mikasa?"

Mikasa slowly raised her head at her name being called, her eyes looked at the form of her other childhood friend in response; Armin.

"You need to eat Mikasa. I know it hurts seeing him like this. It hurts me too, but he would want you to take care of yourself. You know that to be true," Armin said.

"No… It's fine, I just… want to stay with him for a while longer," Mikasa responded, she turned her head back to Eren.

Armin looked at her sadly, she had done the same thing every day since arriving at this abandoned cottage. Always by Eren's side during their free time, just sitting there, holding his hand. Armin worried about his childhood friend, it's not hard to see how hard Eren's condition hit her. She hasn't been the same since that day, her eyes were always so lifeless now.

Armin sighed, knowing that there was nothing he can say that would change her mind. "Just eat something later, okay?" Armin said as he backed away from the room upon seeing Mikasa nod.

Armin made his way towards back towards the table, where Jean, Sasha, Historia, and Connie were sitting, who were eating their food in silence. They looked at him with expectant faces.

"I'm sorry guys, she won't be joining us again," Armin said sadly, sighing as he sat down on his seat.

"What!" Jean shouted, standing up.

"She has to! She has eaten barely anything for days!" Jean shouted, angry at the situation.

Armin sighed. "And what can I do? She's hurt Jean, I think… I think she's giving up," Armin said.

"Giving up? What do you mean giving up? She's Mikasa! She never gives up!" Jean said, his voice raised.

"Not when it comes to Eren," Armin replied simply.

'_God fucking dammit Yeager, why is she so attached to your suicidal ass,' _Jean thought to himself, angry at Eren. He dropped back down on his seat with a sigh, he knows Mikasa is heavily attached to Eren and he could never figure out why but there was nothing he could do now. He just hoped Yeager pulled through, because the truth was, personal feelings aside, Jean knew Humanity needed them both.

A few hours later, Armin checked Eren's room again. He found Mikasa asleep whilst holding Eren's hand, her head lied on the space next to Eren, her body leaning forward from the chair she's sitting on. He looked at them sadly before quietly closing the door.

It was the next morning when the squad was met by a soldier bursting through their door.

"Commander Erwin has requested Squad Levi to immediately make their way to Trost! Trost is under attack from the Armoured, and Beast Titan! We must go now!" the soldier shouted.

The squad looked at each other before rushing off to get their gear. Levi made his way towards Eren's room, knowing that's where Mikasa was.

"Mikasa, we need to go," Levi said simply.

Mikasa simply nodded before getting up from her chair, she heard the soldier shouting from the other room, she knows what must be done. She glanced once more back at Eren before leaving with her comrades.


	2. Lightning Strikes

**A/N Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and thank you for the feedback! I'll try and continue to improve my writing as the story progresses. Also, I will try and answer recent discoveries that were revealed in the manga in the past year, especially the Ackerman bloodline. Note that everything will be based on theory, we won't know what it truly means until it is explained in the Manga. Another thing, this story will have its fair share of far fetched fantasy like concepts that aren't Titan related but that can't be helped when you're dealing with crossing realities :) but I will try and keep it at a minimum in the future.**

**Thanks again!**

**01/01/2020 - Improved writing a bit.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Lightning Strikes**

Screams could be heard from the citizens of Trost District as two bolts lightning came from the sky and struck the top of the wall, revealing the Beast Titan and the Armoured Titan. The citizens of Trost scrambled to the escape route, people trampling on one another in their panic to escape as they were reminded that their safety was always just temporary.

The Beast Titan opened its mouth and screamed.

He watched in satisfaction as he saw countless bolts of lightning flash across the District as people, who drank the wine he sneaked into the city, turned into mindless Titans. He just watched as his creations started devouring innocent people; Men, Women, and Children. Pools of blood filled the streets of Trost, as the mindless Titans filled their stomachs with the flesh of the innocents.

"Now, we wait," Zeke said, his eyes just lazily swooped over the district, unaffected by the blood-curdling screams that were now filling the air.

Reiner, and Bertolt, who was stood on Reiner's shoulder, looked at Zeke, eyes wide as they saw the casual ruthlessness of their War-Chief.

They watched as people, scrambling away, were caught by these mindless Titans and devoured before their eyes. The Garrison Regiment tried their best to hold off the Titans, but it proved too difficult as the number of soldiers within that regiment shrunk rapidly as the minutes ticked by.

The mindless Titans advanced towards the pool of people that had gathered around the escape exit, screams and cries of children could be heard as the Titans got closer and closer. Blood covered the streets like a blanket, getting larger as the clock ticked by.

Just as the light from the sun started to dim, the clouds touched with orange from the slowly setting sun, Zeke saw a glint of light as one of his Titans fell and started to steam. The crowd of people became deadly silent as they looked at the figure that stood on top of the steaming body of the Titan, blades at her sides as they dripped with the blood of the Titan she just killed. She glanced at the crowd with her stormy grey eyes, lifeless, cold, and ruthless, before throwing herself at another Titan nearby, quickly dispatching it with a clean slice to its nape.

The crowd watched as six other soldiers quickly followed her and ended the life of every single Titan that stood close by. The crowd continued to push itself through the escape exit as their saviours continued to make quick work of any Titans that got close to them.

'_Finally,' _Zeke thought.

He watched with interest as each one of his Titans were killed by these soldiers as they zipped around using their gear and sliced at the Titan's nape with their blades; he was fascinated with this technology, it was unlike anything that he had seen before. _'I'll need to get my hands on one so I can analyse it closely,' _Zeke thought.

Mikasa looked up at the two Titan Shifters standing on top of the wall after she killed the remaining mindless Titans that were in her way. Squad Levi flanked her on both sides of the street, they stood on top of the buildings as they looked up at the two Titans at the top of the wall. They recognised the Armoured Titan; Reiner. But the Titan that stood next to him was unlike any they've ever dealt with. Its arms were long, its body was covered in fur and its features closely represented an ape, but it was clearly another Titan shifter, there was another Human inside that Titan who wished to harm Humanity.

'_Just how many of them are there and why are they doing this?'_ was the thought that went through the minds of Squad Levi as they looked on.

Mikasa looked at them with fury in her eyes, a storm brewing behind them. They're the ones that want Eren, they're the ones that put him in the condition he was in, they're the ones she must kill, no matter the cost.

'_For Eren,' _Mikasa's grip on her blades tightened, her knuckles turned white as she took on her fighting stance.

"Mikasa," Levi said as he walked up next to her, his eyes were also locked on the two Titan shifters sitting on top of the wall.

"Don't be an idiot, fight only if you need to, it's hard enough that we don't have Eren's Titan here. Our priority is to get the civilians onto the boats, understood?" Levi said, looking at her now.

Mikasa sighed as her grip loosened slightly, she knew he was right. She glanced at Levi, the fury in her eyes dampening slightly.

"Yes, sir," Mikasa said curtly, she turned away and was about to make her way to the exit.

Levi watched as the Beast Titan broke a piece of the wall and held it in its hand like a ball. With a roar, the Beast Titan threw the large piece of the wall straight at them.

"Mikasa!" Levi shouted as he went to grab her, but a large piece of the wall slammed against the entrance, the force of the impact sending her and Levi flying backwards and onto their backs painfully.

Mikasa groaned at the impact before slowly standing up, her eyes shifting to the two Titan Shifters as they started to make their way towards her squad.

"Fuck," Levi groaned. He snapped his head towards the Titan Shifters as they climbed down from where they sat. As they got closer, his eyes took in the sight of the Beast Titan, Armoured Titan, and Bertolt who was perched up on the Armoured Titan's shoulder.

'_They can climb, we can't let them go over this wall, the civilians are not safe yet' _Levi thought to himself.

He looked at his squad after he stood up. "We need to buy time for the civilians, I don't want either of them getting over this wall! Do you understand?!" Levi shouted; his squad members looked at him with wide eyes.

'_We're going to fight… them?' _was the thought that was at the front of his squad's minds as they looked at the incoming threat.

"We don't have to fight," Zeke said as he got closer, his Titan's voice shocked the soldiers in front of him.

Armin's eyes widened at the voice of the Beast Titan._ 'Why are they doing this... Aren't we all human after all? Maybe I can get some answers.'_

"Why are you doing this?!" Armin shouted, gaining Zeke's attention.

"You'll have to be more specific," Zeke said, his Titan form causing Armin to sweat as he bravely kept his eyes locked onto Zeke.

"Why are you killing us? Why are you attacking humanity?!" Armin replied.

"It has to be this way, I will end all this suffering," Zeke said.

"What does that mean? End this suffering, aren't you all human too?" Armin replied, confused as to what he meant.

"It's truly sad that you do not understand… I apologise but I didn't come here to talk," Zeke said, he turned his head away from Armin, "Just give us Eren and you might live."

"No. You don't touch him," Mikasa coldly, her icy voice caused the spines of her comrades to shiver. Her voice was just about loud enough for Zeke to hear, but the message was clear. Her eyes lit up in fury as she got into her fighting stance, blades raised, ready to give hell to anyone or anything that gets in her way.

Zeke sighed, he didn't want it to come to this, but he had given them a choice and they've chosen. Now, he must show them the consequences of their choice. Such a shame, he didn't want to kill them. After all, they were like him, they were Eldians but he must complete his plan. He must Euthanise all Eldians.

With a mighty roar, Zeke lunged quickly at Mikasa and used his long limbs to swipe at her but his eyes widened slightly inside his Titan form as he saw the girl in front of him jump out of the way with inhuman speed and in a blink of an eye, she had sliced off the hand that was reaching for her and was now launching herself straight at him at speeds that were simply impossible for a normal human.

Seeing this, Levi shouted at his squad. "What are you brats waiting for?! We do not let them get passed us, you hear me! Attack!" this snapped Jean, Connie, Sasha, Armin, and Historia out of their own thoughts and they too jumped into action. But just before Historia jumped, she was stopped by Jean.

"Hey, shouldn't you stay back? Since you're the true heir and all?" Jean stated, blocking her with his arm.

"Like hell I will! Now get out of the way!" Historia shouted heatedly, glaring at him before throwing his arm off and going straight at the Beast Titan. Jean stared wide-eyed for a moment, momentarily stunned, before following her.

Levi quickly jumped into action with speed as ferocious as Mikasa's, maybe even faster, and flew towards the Armoured Titan while Mikasa fought with the Beast Titan. His blades won't be able to penetrate its armour, but he could keep it distracted while his squad dealt with the Beast Titan.

Zeke struggled and swung his arms as they kept cutting him, his ankles, his knees, his shoulders, everywhere. _'What the hell, how is she so fast?'_ Zeke thought to himself as he continued to struggle against the quick succession of attacks, especially this girl who was moving at speeds that he had never witnessed before and pulling out moves that he had never seen before. Something about her and the other guy nagged him, but he had no time to ponder his thoughts for long as he was bombarded with her attacks.

Frustrated, Zeke roared before grabbing onto a wire that was close to him and swung it against a house. This sent Connie flying into a building, colliding with it painfully before he flopped onto the ground, unconscious.

"Connie!" Sasha yelled in panic as she saw her friend drop to the ground. This momentary distraction was enough for Zeke to grab onto her, causing her to scream and just as he was about to crush her with his one good hand, the hand dropped to the floor and landed with a thud, Sasha landing painfully with it but she stood back up shortly after, relatively unscathed.

Mikasa wasted no time and latched onto Zeke's head using her ODM gear and launched herself straight at him, kicking off his shoulder as she got close so that she can get behind him, exposing his nape. Twisting and turning to gain momentum, she prepared her blades to kill whoever that was inside the Beast Titan but before she could penetrate his nape, the Beast Titan roared and swung his long limb at her, backhanding her, she let out a gasp of pain as his arm collided with her body and she flew down away from him. Mikasa was sent flying down the street, she frantically used the gas on her ODM gear to slow her descent, but she still landed, and skidded, across the ground painfully and did not move when her body came to a stop.

Zeke roared. "Throw him!" he shouted as he began to run in the opposite direction. _'If you don't give me Eren, I'll happily kill every one of you to get him.'_

Reiner, hearing his command, started running back too, this confused Levi slightly, but he wasn't stupid enough to chase after him, so he also fell back in the opposite direction. Mid-run, Reiner grabbed onto Bertolt, who gave Reiner a slight nod to confirm he was ready, before throwing him up into the air.

Levi's eyes widened as he looked up at who he threw, the Colossal Titan was coming, _'How the fuck are we going to escape this.'_

Turning back around, "Jean, Sasha, Historia, Armin! Grab Connie and get up the wall! I'll get Mikasa!" he shouted.

Pushing himself to the edge of his limits, he quickly scooped up the unconscious Mikasa and latched onto the wall before launching himself at it, his arm firmly holding Mikasa. Sasha, Historia, Armin, and Jean, who held Connie, did the same thing. They all just made it up to the wall just as a huge explosion blew them over to the other side, but they managed to latch onto the wall before they hit the ground.

In the air, Bertolt made sure Zeke and Reiner was a good distance away before he clamped his teeth over his hand, drawing blood. In a huge explosion, sending shock waves throughout Trost, buildings collapsed, debris flying everywhere as the Colossal Titan made his appearance, standing at 50 metres tall, its skinless body casting a shadow over Trost.

Once Squad Levi made it back on top of the wall, they stared at the Colossal Titan as it sent debris all over the district, causing destruction everywhere it moved.

Mikasa let out a slight groan as consciousness came back to her. Sitting up, her eyes widened as she saw the Colossal Titan wreaks havoc to Trost.

"Are you alright Mikasa?" Armin asked her, eyes full of worry as he looked at her.

"Yeah…" answered Mikasa, unable to tear her eyes away from the destruction that was being brought upon Trost.

"Captain! What do we do?!" Jean asked, panic in his voice as he watched with great sadness as the Colossal Titan destroyed his home.

Levi turned around, in search of the civilians, slight relief washed over his body as he saw the boats were already a good distance away from them.

Something inside Mikasa's heart and mind pulled at her suddenly, her eyes widened in fear as her head turned to look in the direction they came from as one thought went through her mind at that very moment _'Eren…'_

"Mikasa?" Armin asked as he looked in the direction she was staring at, unable to spot anything. So why was she looking over there?

* * *

Back at the cottage, Eren Yeager lied still as his lungs gasped for air. Golden mist surrounded his dying body, he struggled for oxygen as the mist became more and more prominent. He started to shake as he started to inhale the golden mist until there was no more surrounding him. His body suddenly stopped shaking and went limp as the mist disappeared inside. This world's Eren Yeager took his very last breath as his heart stopped, dead.

Suddenly, he sat up, his eyes snapped wide open and they were not his usual green colour, it shone with bright golden light, crackling with energy. The golden energy seemed to get brighter and brighter, shining like a star as his lifeless eyes continued to stay open.

Then, like a mini bomb, the golden light exploded out of his eyes and mouth. If anyone were there to witness this event, they would have been blinded by the brightness of the explosion. Just like it started, it ended abruptly; the light disappeared from the room. He was gone, no sign of him anywhere.

This world's Eren Yeager was no more.

* * *

Mikasa looked at Armin, her eyes wide and sad whilst her heart slammed against her chest as the fear of what she felt consumed her. _'No. Eren is fine, he has to be...'_ she thought to herself. She put a hand on the scarf that Eren gave her, feeling the material as she pulled it over her mouth, trying to take comfort in its warmth. She closed her eyes for a moment before shakily standing up.

"Mikasa?" Armin asked again, tentatively putting a hand on her arm as he looked at her worriedly.

She looked at him again. "I just felt something… Don't worry about it, it's probably nothing," she replied, her voice slightly shaky. The last time she had this feeling; Eren was eaten by a Titan. She couldn't shake the feeling that something has happened again.

"We need to retreat, Trost is lost, we will fight another day," Levi said, loud enough for his squad to hear. He was about to move but was stopped when he noticed a dark cloud, crackling with lightning, form right above the Colossal Titan. _'What the fuck?' _Levi thought.

"Hey, guys… What the fuck is that?" Jean said, pointing at the clouds that were forming above the Colossal.

Everybody stared, mesmerised at the sight. Their eyes widened momentarily as the cloud shone golden bright before an explosion of lightning bolts shot from the clouds, causing everyone to cover their eyes, and struck the Colossal Titan. With a resounding boom and bright light, the Colossal Titan was sent crashing to the ground as the lightning struck him, landing on his front, crushing buildings as it landed, the shockwaves from the impact levelling nearby buildings and debris were sent high in the air.

The Levi Squad stared, shocked as they saw Bertolt fall but nothing could describe their faces of disbelief when they saw a Titan standing near the nape of Bertolt's Colossal.

Zeke and Reiner watched with wide eyes as Bertolt's Titan lied still, his Titan body spasming slightly as the lightning travelled throughout its body. What shocked them the most was that there was a Titan, standing near the nape of Bertolt, crackling with energy. Bolts of lightning surrounded its body.

'_What just happened? Bertolt… I need to get him out of there!' _was the thought that ran through Reiner's mind as he started to run towards him, Zeke not so far behind him. Whoever was inside that Titan, one was clear; he or she was powerful.

Eren landed on the Colossal Titan with a crash, his Titan was crackling with energy. Lightning surrounded his body, his eyes a bright gold as he looked at the nape of the Colossal Titan.

'_Bertolt…'_ Eren thought as his Titan's mouth widened in a predatory smile, opened slightly so that his tongue can be seen.

Eren looked up in the sky, his mouth opened wide, and let out a mighty roar, which seemed to return his eyes to their normal green colour and cause the lightning, that surrounded his body, to dissipate. He looked back down at Bertolt; his eyes looked feral, predatory as he stared down at the nape of the Colossal.

With another roar, he punched right through the nape of the Colossal, grabbed onto the human form of Bertolt before ripping him straight out of his Titan's nape. Bertolt screamed in terror as he was forced out, his eyes wide as he looked at his attacker in fear. He tilted his head up, Bertolt held in his fist right above him.

"No! Please! Don't- " Bertolt started screaming but he was cut short as Eren squeezed, causing every bone in his body to break and shatter as Eren drained his spinal fluid right into his mouth before devouring him whole. Consuming the power of the Colossal.

Eren snapped his head around as he heard pounding footsteps behind him.

'_Zeke… Reiner… We meet again'_ Eren's human mouth grinned, his eyes animalistic as he stared at the new arrivals with hatred, especially Zeke. He was the one that killed Mikasa and Armin. _'You will suffer' _Eren thought furiously.

Eren opened his mouth and let out a thundering roar as the approaching Titan Shifters came to a stop in front of Eren, who was still standing on top of the decaying Colossal. He got into his fighting stance, ready for the incoming fight.

Armin watched in shock as the newcomer ripped Bertolt straight of his Titan and devoured him. He watched in anticipation as the newcomer got into a fighting stance and faced the other two Titan Shifters that were responsible for this Trost Invasion. But then something caught his eye about the newcomer, its appearance looked so familiar.

Armin's eyes widened as it hit him, it looked exactly like Eren's Titan. _'But how!? Eren's not here… It's impossible!'_ Armin thought.

Mikasa had similar thoughts as her eyes widened when she recognised the form of Eren's Titan.

"Eren?" she whispered; confusion laced in her voice.


	3. Reunion

**A/N Hey guys, I was thinking recently about what ability Eren would have if he ate the Colossal Titan. Would he be able to switch between the form of the Colossal and his Attack Titan form? Would he have certain abilities he can now use? What about if he eats the other Titans? But yeah, it would be interesting, I'll be dabbing on these ideas. Thanks for reading again! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Reunion**

Eren slowly made his way down from the decaying Colossal, still in his fighting stance as he moved closer to the opposing Titan Shifters. They slowly moved around each other, every step was slow and calculated as Eren mapped out his surroundings. Every building within his proximity was in ruins caused by the shock waves of the Colossus's fall, there were patches of fire littered around him. As he continued to flick his green eyes around the area, he noticed the people standing and watching them from the top of the wall. Suddenly, Eren came to a stop, his feet planted firmly on the ground as his Titan's mouth let out a puff of steam. His eyes stared at Zeke and Reiner, unmoved, calm, and cold as he tensed his muscles, ready to bring hell to Earth.

Reiner, in his anger, roared and charged at Eren, his pounding footsteps causing nearby rubble to shake and bounce as if there was a mini earthquake. At the same time, Zeke grabbed a piece of rubble from the ground and using his throwing ability, he launched the object straight at Eren while Reiner charged at him.

Eren's eyes widened slightly at the fast approaching projectile, which was going straight for his head. There was no way for him to dodge both attacks, especially when the projectile was coming at him like a missile. Deciding that taking the bulk of Reiner's charge will cause less damage, he grabbed Reiner's neck as Reiner hit him with a spear and held Reiner's neck tightly as he flew back from the impact of the hit. The projectile thrown by Zeke grazes his face, taking a chunk of flesh with it as he flew backwards and landed on his back, his legs now wrapped around Reiner, locking him in place as he tried to rip his neck out of his body.

In his rage, Reiner used every bit of strength he had left and lifted Eren up from the ground before slamming him back down, forcing Eren to release his grip and get back up. There was no time to gather his wits as another projectile, thrown by Zeke, smashed against his chest, the impact pushing Eren backwards.

Reiner used this opportunity to throw a punch at Eren, catching Eren cleanly in the face and sending him flying backwards. Instantly, Reiner went after him, ready to finish this fight off and avenge Bertolt's death. As he was about to get on top of the prone Eren, Reiner was sent flying backwards by a huge blast of hot steam, just like the steam that was emitted by the Colossal Titan.

"He just shot steam out of his palm like how the Colossal Titan could, that's new, is that what happens when Titan Shifters eat each other? They gain their abilities as well." Armin told himself as he watched the fight below, storing this information in his mind.

_'Enough of this shit,'_ Eren raged in his mind as he stood back up, his Titan now, if possible, looking even more feral as he roared at Reiner and Zeke.

Eren grabbed two large pieces of rubble that were near him and threw it at Reiner with as much force as he can muster, one after the other, it wasn't as fast as Zeke's throwing ability, but it does the job. Reiner dodged the first one by sidestepping but was too slow as the second projectile struck him in the face, momentarily blocking his vision. Using this opening, Eren ran at Reiner and kicked him in the chest. Reiner skidded backwards but was not knocked over. Eren allowed him no time to recover as he grabbed Reiner and kicked his knee at an angle that forced his knee to bend the wrong way, causing Reiner to drop to one knee as he lost his balance.

Zeke uses this time to throw another projectile at Eren. However, this time the object splits into many pieces, making dodging very difficult but Eren didn't need to dodge. Using the Armoured Titan, Eren grabbed him and forced him in front of him, using him as a body shield as the projectile smashed into Reiner relentlessly. Countless projectiles smashed into Reiner's Titan's eyes. The power of the impact took parts of his head off. Eren used this opportunity and grabbed the front of Reiner's face, holding it in a vice-like grip as he roared and pulled. The sound of flesh ripping filled the air as the Armoured Titan's head was separated from his body, Eren held his head by the hair as he stared at Zeke with a sinister smile, teeth baring. He threw the decapitated head to the side before advancing towards Zeke.

_'I can't wait to kill you again. Trust me, I will enjoy it,'_ thought Eren as he advanced towards his half-brother.

However, Zeke wasn't planning to fight him on his own, this was not a fight he was willing to place his life on. He just needs to get Reiner's human body and get out of there, preferably back to Marley to regather and re-plan. He picked up another large broken piece of a building and crushed it into tiny pieces as the Titan in front of him continued to get closer. Once Eren was a little closer, Zeke took his chance and threw the pile of crushed concrete at Eren, temporarily blinding him as his face was bombarded with tiny pieces, blinding him temporarily. Eren roared as he tried to cover his face as Zeke threw another.

Seeing an opportunity, Zeke used his long arm and grabbed Eren by the neck before launching him as far away as he can. Hastily, he made his way to Reiner, ripping him out of his Titan and held him in his mouth before making his escape. However, he stopped and turned around when he heard a roar. He turned around, his eyes widened slightly as Eren charged at him, eyes shaking, and his face contorted in rage as he ran at him with murderous intent. Zeke roared as he leaned back and threw another projectile straight at the raging Eren. The projectile burned hot as it shot through the air at lightning speeds; it was too fast, way too fast for Eren to dodge. Despite his rage, Eren's eyes widened momentarily before the projectile smashed against his face, sending him soaring through the air and onto his back, unmoving. His jaw hung by the skin as he tried to look at Zeke from his position. When he managed to look back up, Zeke had already climbed over the wall and made his escape.

_'This is all too familiar,'_ Eren thought bitterly as he remembered the first time Zeke escaped him, the day Mikasa died.

He got back up but froze as he heard footsteps behind him. Slowly, he turned around and his human eyes went wide, his heartbeat started to hammer against his chest as a wave of emotions washed through him.

_'Mikasa… Armin…' _Eren froze, he knew they were alive in this reality, but this was the first time he had seen their faces in 4 years, he never thought he would see them ever again. His best friends, the ones he had hurt to reach his goal. Guilt washed through him as he remembered their deaths, Mikasa's death hitting him the hardest as it was his decision to lock up his comrades that led to her death and this thought has haunted him every night since that fateful day.

_'Connie, Sasha, Historia, Captain Levi… I won't let you suffer again,' _Eren promised as he saw his friends, the friends he had lost along the way in his journey to bring peace to Eldia. He looked at Jean with a huge amount of respect, he was the Commander of the Survey Corps during their war against Zeke and Marley. Without him, he would not have been able to bring peace to Paradis Island. Of course, this wasn't the same Jean, not yet, but he's on his way. He'll need him if he wants to bring peace to this world.

As the adrenaline from the battle left his body, an overwhelming amount of fatigue hit him. His Titan form started to sway slightly before he dropped to his knees and crashed to the ground, his consciousness slowly slipping away from him.

_'Who knew travelling to another reality was this tiring…'_ was the last thought that ran through Eren's mind as he lost consciousness whilst his Titan form started to decay and steam.

Mikasa was the first to move as the Titan started to decay, quickly making her way to its nape as a million thoughts ran through her. Just like everyone else, she didn't believe it was Eren. She would've seen him, right? The chances of him waking up from the state he was in were slim to none, she knew this deep down, but she never gave up the hope that one day Eren would return to her and make her feel whole again. What she saw next shocked her but at the same time, an overwhelming feeling of happiness, relief, disbelief all washed through her being at the same time as she recognised the person inside the Titan.

"Eren?" whispered Mikasa, eyes wide, lips quivering as she recognised the form of the very person she was just thinking about. In a trance-like state, she started cutting off the flesh that fused him to the Titan, her movements were slow at first but became more desperate and frantic as her disbelief washed away, replaced by hope, relief, and panic.

"Eren!" cried Mikasa, tears threatened to burst from her eyes as she grabbed him, pulling him out of his Titan in desperation and pulled him to her chest tightly, scared that he will leave her again. Tears started to leak from her eyes as she was hit with a wave of emotions.

Armin eyes widened as he saw Eren in Mikasa's arms, "Eren…? How…?" his voice breaking as he made his way towards Mikasa.

_'How did he get here? He was, in every sense, gone… The chances of him waking up were so low… Even I started to accept the reality but now… He's here, against all odds… but how...?' _Armin thought as he reached out a hand to tentatively touch Eren to confirm that he was actually there.

"What? But Eren was… He was…" stuttered Jean, unable to believe his eyes.

Levi looked at them with an indifferent expression with slightly widened eyes but inside, he was just as shocked and confused as his squad.

"We can ask these questions later. First, we need to get out of here so I can inform Erwin of what happened," said Levi, looking around at the state of Trost. It can be rebuilt, but it will take time. The damage was extensive, a large portion of the town has been completely decimated by the Colossal Titan. It will be a struggle, many homes were lost, people will suffer.

"Come on, let's get Eren out of here," said Levi, staring pointedly at Mikasa.

She nodded in acknowledgement before she picked Eren up and followed the rest of the squad, Armin followed closely behind.

* * *

The day following Eren's fight, against Reiner and Zeke, he remained unconscious except for the few times he muttered unintelligible words. Mikasa, as expected, spent most of her time by Eren's side with Armin visiting quite often throughout the day. The rest of the squad remained shocked and confused about how Eren woke up from his coma and got to Trost. It was simply impossible, yet he was there in the heat of it all, killing Bertolt and saving Trost, yet again.

It was night, the following day, when Eren woke from his exhaustion induced slumber.

Mikasa sighed as she looked out of the window, it was the middle of the night. She spent most of her day sat by Eren's side, thinking about what had transpired the day before; The lightning that struck Bertolt, the fact that Eren had eaten Bertolt, the fight that took place after. The raw rage was still very much prominent from Eren's Titan, yet he fought with experience and he seemed so much more powerful.

She doesn't know how Eren came back, but it didn't really matter in the end. She felt whole again. He came back to her and that's all that matters. She doesn't care how he did it, the only thing that mattered was that he did. She glanced back at Eren's sleeping face, a rare smile broke out on her face as she stared, her hand tentatively and gently brushing a stray hair away from his face.

"I missed you…" whispered Mikasa, her eyes brimmed with tears as she remembered all the long nights she had spent sat by his bedside this past month. The pain she felt every day for the past month, it was nearly unbearable, but it was not as unbearable as the thought of a future without Eren. It has been harder than when Armin told her that Eren died during the Battle of Trost. Waking up every day, not knowing whether Eren will live or die, it was torture and she never wanted to go through that again. He was the reason she still had a life to live, he gave her a second chance. He was there that day when no one else was. He risked his own life to save a girl he barely knew, he brought happiness back into her life and gave her a home.

Gently placing her head on his chest, she closed her eyes and sighed as she listened to the familiar thumps of his heart. How could she not be devoted to him? How could she not love him after everything he had done for her? She felt so cold that day, but he covered her in warmth. As long as he was here, she will always have a home to return to.

"Please, don't leave ever me alone…" she whispered against his chest, as she snaked her arms around his sleeping form, needing the comfort and warmth he always gave her when she needed it the most.

"Mikasa…"

Her head snapped up at the voice, eyes widening as she was met with familiar green eyes. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with relief as she threw herself at him, crushing him in a hug as she started to cry and shake.

"Eren…" she said, her voice cracking.

Eren wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as he sighed. How he had missed her. Not one day did he stop blaming himself for her death, he won't make the same mistake again. As she calmed down, she leaned back from the hug, staring at his face one more time as her cheeks were stained with dried tears.

"You came back…" she whispered, her eyes were full of life, like a fire reignited inside of her.

Eren noticed the red scarf that was neatly folded and rested next to his pillow. He grabbed it and slowly wrapped it around her bare neck, her eyes widened at the gesture. Her hands, like six years ago, moved to touch the soft material.

"If I didn't come back," he started, as he let go of the scarf, "Who would wrap this around you?" he said, giving her a small smile as her eyes brimmed with tears yet again. He pulled her back into a hug, breathing in her scent.

He whispered, "I will never leave you alone…"

Eren leaned away slightly, getting a good look at her. "You look tired..." He whispered as he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. He gently caressed her tear-stained cheeks as he smiled softly at her. Mikasa's cheeks flushed at the intimate gesture but she closed her eyes and leaned into his hands, his movements calming her.

Eren lied back down on the bed, his arm stretched out. "Come on, you need to rest," said Eren, looking at her intently, his arm still outstretched as an invitation for her to lie down next to him.

Mikasa flushed a slight red at the invitation, she looked down slightly before giving him a small nod and lying down in his outstretched arm, her head gently pressed against his chest. She sighed contently as she listened to his heart. Eren wrapped his arm around her, pulling her slightly closer as closed his eyes.

She closed her eyes as it brimmed with tears and pulled him even closer as a smile crept its way onto her face. For the first time in a very long time, Mikasa was happy.

* * *

The next morning, Armin was walking around tiredly, having just woken up. He thought he might as well check on Mikasa, who was probably sleeping uncomfortably on the chair at Eren's bedside again, just like she had been doing for the past month. As he was walking towards Eren's room, he thought back to what had transpired merely a day ago at Trost. Armin was happy Eren was back, but it was all so confusing.

_'It just doesn't make sense. There was no way Eren got there so fast, but he did… Was it that lightning? It was slightly different from the lightning when he usually transformed, but how did he even get near the Colossal? It's all just so confusing,'_ thought Armin, he'll just have to ask Eren when he wakes up. He sighed and rubbed the sleep off his eyes as he stood in front of the door where Eren rested behind.

Carefully, to not wake the occupants inside up, he cracked the wooden door open to have a peek inside. His eyes widened as his jaw dropped at the sight that greeted him.

"Mi-Mikasa? E-Eren?" Armin stuttered out.

"Hey, Armin! What are you doing?" Jean asked loudly, making his way towards Armin. Curious to see what was so interesting, he peeked inside as well. He swung the door wide open at the scene he was greeted with.

"WHAT?!" he shouted in shock.

Mikasa was snuggled up to Eren, her arms wrapped around his chest as her head rested on his shoulder. Eren had one arm underneath her body, gently holding her in place as he peacefully slept. Mikasa moved slightly at the noise Jean made, before letting out a contented breath and pulled Eren closer to her with a soft smile on her face, still sleeping peacefully.

Armin quickly pulled Jean back and closed the door at the shout.

Armin whispered harshly at Jean, "What are you doing?"

"But Eren and Mikasa- They- But…" stuttered Jean; his eyes glared at the door.

"So what? I know you like Mikasa Jean… But can't you see how peaceful she looked? I don't remember the last time she was that peaceful, don't you think she deserves that?" whispered Armin, his eyes staring intently at Jean's, hoping he'll understand.

Jean sighed. "You're right…" he relaxed his shoulders and scratched the back of his head as a slight blush appeared on his cheeks as he thought about the way he acted moments ago.

"Well uh, I'll just go," said Jean, giving Armin a quick nod before making his way somewhere else.

Armin watched Jean's retreating back with understanding eyes. He knew he had feelings for his childhood friend but throughout their cadet years, it was clear that Eren will always hold Mikasa's heart, whether Eren knew it or not. It was so obvious to everyone, well except for Eren.

Inside the room, Mikasa stirred as she began to wake. Feeling a warm weight beside her, she snuggled further into it as she sighed contently. _'So warm,'_ She thought, a small smile tugged at her lips as she breathed in the scent of whatever she was holding.

Feeling movement beside her, she cracked her eyes open. Her eyes flicked around tiredly in confusion. _'Hair?'_ she thought in confusion. Breathing in, her eyes widened as a familiar scent reached her nose.

_'Eren…'_

Slowly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, careful not to wake Eren up. A smile broke out on her face as she stared down at his peaceful, sleeping face. She was about to lay her head back down on his chest when she heard the door crack open.

"Mikasa?"

She snapped her head towards the door, blushing furiously as the teasing eyes of Armin peeked into the room. She opened her mouth, but no words came out, before closing it again.

"I see you slept comfortably," teased Armin as he smiled at her.

"Armin, it's- It's not what-" she pressed her lips together and glared at her friend when he started to laugh.

Seeing his friend's glare, he coughed into his hand as he tried to stifle his laughter.

His face still held a teasing smile as he looked at her, "I'm kidding Mikasa," chuckling slightly.

"How is he?" he asked as he looked at Eren, who was still sleeping beside her.

She glanced back at the boy in question. "He… He's perfectly fine," She said, smiling as she stroked his hair, "He's back Armin… He came back to us despite everything." She looked back at Armin, eyes bright, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah… He did," Armin replied, looking at his other childhood friend fondly.

They both froze as a tired groan escaped the person of their conversation. Eren stirred as he began to wake, he groaned slightly, as his body ached as if he had been sleeping for years and cracked his eyes open. His vision was blurry, but he can make out a face with hair that reached their chin. Disoriented, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes to get a better look. What he saw, in his drowsy state, was the most beautiful face he had ever laid eyes on.

"So beautiful…" he whispered, letting out a sigh as he dreamily stared at the face of Mikasa. His eyes widened as the realisation hit him. He was staring at Mikasa. Mikasa. He bolted right up and flushed bright red as he looked at Mikasa, whose cheeks were burning red at his words, with panicked eyes.

Eren stuttered, "I- Uh- Mikasa, I- "

A snort came from the doorway. Eren's eyes flicked over to the figure that was standing by the door, it was Armin. He was overcome with happiness as he saw the smiling face of his oldest friend. His previous embarrassment forgotten, Eren slowly got out of his bed.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he began to fall as his legs felt weak but before he hit the ground, he was caught by a pair of arms. Looking up, it was Armin. His first friend. Tears brimmed at his eyes as he stared at Armin.

"Armin?" whispered Eren, voice filled with disbelief.

Armin started, "Who else-" but he was interrupted as he was pulled into a hug, his eyes widened slightly at the gesture but he returned it nevertheless.

Pulling away, "I missed you," said Eren, before pulling Armin back into another hug. Armin, not knowing what to say, simply patted his back and returned the hug.

Eren pulled away again, he looked back at Mikasa before making his way towards her, one of his arms still around Armin as he pulled Armin with him. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her up before pulling her into the hug as well. Squeezing them tightly as he held onto them.

"I missed both of you," whispered Eren, tears leaked from his eyes as the pain of the last four years of his life came flooding back, the pain of not having them two by his side. The pain of waking up and realising he was alone, sure he had Jean, but it was never the same.

Armin looked at Mikasa in confusion, Eren was never like this, it wasn't like either of them just died and came back. Eren was the one that was on the verge of death for the past month. However, it wasn't an unwelcome change. He had always thought his friend was too fuelled by revenge and anger, sometimes he was afraid he'll lose his way and forget about his friends, but it seems like he didn't have to worry after all. Smiling, he tightened his arms slightly around Eren and Mikasa.

"We'll always be here Eren," whispered Armin.

Eren squeezed his eyes shut, holding back his tears as he heard those words. How he wished that was true in his original reality. He will do everything in his power to make it true in this one, he will give his friends the lives they all deserved. He opened his eyes, a lone tear rolled down his cheeks as his eyes hardened, filled with determination to carry out this promise.

Pulling back from the hug, "I know you will," said Eren, a smile spread across his face as he took in the features of his first friend.

"Come on, the others will probably want to see you too Eren," said Armin, pulling away from Eren and making his way towards the exit, his eyes looking back at Eren, expecting him to follow.

Eren nodded, smiling slightly before he started to move but stumbled as he took his first step. Mikasa quickly held him up before wrapping his arm around her shoulders, her own arm wrapped around his midsection as she helped him walk. Eren looked at her appreciatively as he slowly followed Armin with Mikasa's help.

Jean, Sasha, Connie, and Historia were all situated around the dining table as they ate their breakfast. Some small talk broke out between them. Jean remained relatively quiet as his comrades talked among themselves. The most talkative of the bunch were Connie and Sasha, unsurprisingly.

Suddenly, their talking stopped as the sound of footsteps reached their ears. Collectively, they all turned their heads towards the sound as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin came into view.

Many shouts of "Eren!" rang out in the room as they saw their friend and comrade finally awake. They all got out of their seats, eager to greet the recently awakened Eren.

"Glad you're okay, Eren!" said Sasha, giving the boy a quick hug before pulling back before going back to eating her steamed potato.

"Yeah! I was sure you were a goner! Ha!" Connie chuckled but froze as he saw the glare Mikasa was sending his way. He winced as he felt a light smack on the back of his head, rubbing it as he glared at Sasha.

"You're so dumb! Why would you say that!" chastised Sasha.

"I didn't actually mean it!" Connie defended himself. "That actually hurt Sasha!" he moaned in pain as he kept rubbing his head.

Eren chuckled. He turned his head slightly to look at Historia, who was mostly observing the scene with a slight smile. He was about to say her name when he remembered something that he was told during his brief conversation with Ymir Fritz.

_'If this world's Eren was in a coma after the battle against Annie, then he may not have found out that Krista's real name was Historia. So, I might as well play it safe' _thought Eren.

He nodded at her. "Nice to see you, Krista," said Eren.

"Oh, right… You don't know…" she started in reply, "My name's actually Historia but let's get to that later, you should rest and eat!" she finished, flashing him a small smile.

"I will, thanks. But Historia, huh? It's a nice name," Eren complimented, giving her a smile.

Historia blushed lightly but smiled at the comment. "Thanks."

Moving on from Historia, he noticed Jean who was standing back a little, his face holding an indifferent expression as he observed the sight in front of him. Eren remembered his time with Jean during those years where they had already lost everyone close to them. He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that Jean was a big reason as to why he survived those years, they didn't have the closest of friendships, but it was one deep with respect and trust, something built from pain and loss but from all that, their friendship was strong, possibly stronger than the one he had with Mikasa and Armin before their deaths.

Eren had an idea as to why he was looking so indifferent. The Jean of his reality confessed to Eren about the feelings he had for Mikasa during one drunken night, he talked about how he was always so jealous of the attention she gave him during their younger years. Eren wasn't the most adept person when it came to relationships, especially romantic ones, but he had understood. Eren underwent many realisations after that night, especially regarding Mikasa. He had never appreciated her enough during all the things they went through; she had literally followed him to her death. Even when he tried to push her away, she still had hope for him, she still believed in him till the bitter end. He will not waste this second chance; he will let her know just how much she meant to him.

Returning his attention back to Jean. "Nice to see you, Jean," said Eren, giving him a nod of acknowledgement.

Surprised, "Uh- You too, Eren," replied Jean, slightly surprised at the friendly tone.

With the help of Mikasa, Eren made his way to an empty seat by the table and sat down, sighing as his legs got much-needed rest. Everyone else following suit. He relaxed into the chair as Mikasa brought him some food, which made him realise he was hungry as his stomach grumbled at the sight of the bread and soup that was placed in front of him.

"Hey, Eren?"

Turning his head towards the voice, "Yes Armin?" replied Eren, taking a bite out of the bread.

"It's just… I was wondering if you remember what happened two days ago?" asked Armin. Everyone else turned their attention to Eren, curious to know.

Eren paused, "Oh… To be honest, I don't really remember much. Just that I woke up and the next thing I knew I was fighting and then it was all a blur until I woke up again," answered Eren.

"So, you don't know how you got there? To Trost? Or what happened in the fight?" asked Armin, his brows knitted in confusion.

"Uhm, not really… Maybe it'll come back to me, but I don't remember much- I ate Bertolt." Eren stating the last part suddenly, his eyes wide as he remembered the fight. This was good, this means Armin won't be taking on a Titan form and be doomed by the Curse of Ymir. It didn't really matter in his reality since Armin never got to live the full thirteen years but with this change, it means a long life for his oldest friend was very much possible.

Everybody's eyes widened at the declaration, having momentarily forgotten this important fact due to the excitement and relief of having Eren back.

"Yeah… It turned out he was the Colossal and Reiner was the Armoured Titan. We're not sure who the Beast Titan is but they have Ymir who turned out to be another Titan" replied Armin, before he started filling Eren in on everything that had transpired in the last month regarding Annie, the troubles with the Military Police and the reveal of Reiner, Bertolt, and Ymir.

Eren nodded and listened as his eyes burned in anger as ice-cold rage slowly filled his body, gripping his hand in a fist as he listened. The betrayal of Reiner and Bertolt still hurt him to this day, even if it was years ago. The fact that in this world, it was happening right now didn't really help. But one piece of information made him pause.

"Wait… Annie was captured?" asked Eren, eyes wide. This was different, maybe he could use this to his advantage. In his world, he never really gave Annie a chance to redeem herself after breaking her out of the crystal but since she never trapped herself in a crystal in this world… Maybe, just maybe he could talk to her and make her fight for them, she would be a great asset.

"Yeah, they have her secured somewhere but you'll have to ask Captain Levi, the location is classified but I think he knows," answered Armin.

"I… I would like to speak to her," stated Eren.

"Eren…" cautioned Mikasa, her hand gently touching his arm, not liking the idea at all.

Looking up at her, "It's alright, I just… want to talk, that's all." answered Eren.

Mikasa still didn't look reassured but decided not to press further, she would be there when that happens. She'll make sure of it.

"I think we all want to speak to her. I think we all deserve to know why," said Jean, anger evident in his voice as he spoke about Annie.

"Where is Captain Levi anyway?"


	4. Annie

**Chapter 4: Annie**

Eren sighed as he impatiently tapped the table with his fingers, staring intently at the front door. He was waiting for Levi's return, he needed to talk to Annie, and he was told Levi was the only one in the squad that knew where she was held. This was a huge opportunity for them, if he could get Annie to fight on their side this time, the loss of life could be significantly reduced. Without Armin as the Colossal this time, having Annie could fill that gap. Maybe she could even be used to infiltrate Marley but that was to be decided.

Twisting his head, he sighed as he folded his arms and placed his head on top of them. As he lazily glanced around the room, he thought about what he could possibly say to persuade Annie to join them. Throughout their cadet years, Annie has always been someone that simply didn't care about anything. She never got close to anyone. Did she even care about them? Did she even care when she killed Marco? She was a good fighter, calm and collected, sarcastic, quick-witted but she was always isolated and had no desire for anything. What could he possibly offer or say that will get her to help them?

_'Maybe my undying friendship,' _he snickered at the thought.

"Eren?"

Slowly turning his head towards the voice, he noticed Mikasa looking worriedly at him. Taking in her features, Eren mentally slapped his younger self for being so ignorant. How could he miss something as big as Mikasa's feelings for him? How did he not realise how pretty she was? She had grown up so much over the years and it felt like he missed it all. His younger self was fuelled by so much revenge, he didn't even stop and appreciate everything that was important to him at the time and he lived to regret it every single day for years after their deaths.

"Eren? Are you okay?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, he blushed as he realised, he was staring at her.

"Oh uhm, yeah! Just got lost in my thoughts, sorry!" he scratched the back of his head, face slightly flushed while he gave her a small smile.

Shifting her chair, a little closer to Eren, Mikasa gently placed a hand on top of his as she stared intently at him, her eyes expressing her worry. This action caused Eren's eyes to widen slightly, now concentrated on the person that he was staring at.

"Is something bothering you?" asked Mikasa, her eyes still trained on him.

"No… Not really," Eren sighed, his eyes dropping to stare at the table as he spoke. "I was just thinking about Annie… I'm not really sure what to say to her."

"What is there to say? She's a traitor and she hurt _you_,"

Eren looked back at her. "I know… But just think about it, if I could get Annie to help us- "

The others in the room looked at them as Mikasa abruptly stood up, her sudden movements causing her chair to clatter against the floor.

"Help us?! _She_ was the one that put you in that coma! How could you forgive what _she_ did!? S-s-she… Just why…?" asked Mikasa, her face a little flustered from anger, anger at the very thought of Annie. All the pain she had suffered for the past month, every single torturous day, flooded her mind as she stared defiantly at Eren.

"I know, I know… but just hear me out," Eren began, his eyes now looked around the room, now speaking to everyone. "If we get Annie on our side, imagine having her Titan abilities_ and_ all the information she has on our enemies? On Reiner? On the Beast Titan? We could torture her, yes. But I'm telling you now, it won't work, not on Annie anyway."

"He's right Mikasa," began Armin, after digesting the words Eren just said. "Eren is right. At this moment, we don't even have a clue who our enemies are. With Annie fighting for us and the amount of information she could give us… It could be a game changer,"

"But Eren- " she stopped abruptly as Eren stood up and grabbed her hand, holding it gently in his own.

"Do you trust me, Mikasa?" asked Eren, his eyes boring into hers.

"I… I do but- "

"Then trust me on this, Mikasa… please," he pleaded.

Looking into his eyes, Mikasa sighed as she hesitantly nodded. She didn't like this one bit; she would be happy for Annie to just die. In her mind, she was a traitor, someone that tried to hurt the people important to her and someone like that didn't deserve a second chance but if Eren and Armin feels like Annie could help them, then she'll follow them and if anything goes wrong, she'll kill Annie herself and protect them.

Pulling her into a tight hug, surprising Mikasa, Eren whispered into her ear, "Thank you."

Sighing in defeat, Mikasa held Eren tighter as she rested her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she relaxed into his hold, her anger from moments ago slowly dissipating as she melted in his embrace. Eren has been initiating a lot more physical contact ever since waking up, she wasn't sure what changed but she wasn't one to complain. She can't remember the last time Eren has been this affectionate with her. It was a nice change; this was the side of Eren that she thought disappeared many years ago.

The other people in the room watched them, fascinated, as they held each other. This was a new side to Eren, a side they weren't familiar with.

Leaning over towards Armin, Connie whispered, "When did Eren get so… you know," gesturing at the embracing pair.

Armin, understanding what he was trying to ask, replied, "I don't know… he has been like this ever since waking up, it feels like he is a different person at times…"

"Really? That coma must have done a number on him," Connie commented.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess it isn't really a bad thing," said Armin, his eyes still trained on his best friends. "He just seems so much calmer, you know. I know it hasn't been long since he woke up but it's nice to see that he isn't being fuelled by anger all the time, I actually hope he stays like this," finished Armin.

Connie nodded, agreeing with what Armin said.

Jean grumbled as he listened to Armin, "Yeah, he might not be suicidal anymore but he's still a bastard," his eyes bored holes into Eren's back.

Eren and Mikasa jumped apart as a resounding slam of the door brought them out of their thoughts. An imposing, short, figure strolled into the room, his footsteps were loud since no one made a sound as they watched their Captain, Humanity's Strongest Soldier, make his long-awaited return to the hideout. Behind him, Dimo and Flegel Reeves followed closely behind, who had been working closely with Hange and Levi in opposing the government during Eren's unfortunate situation.

Levi raised an eyebrow as he scanned the room, noticing the irritated expression on Jean's face and the flushed faces of Eren and Mikasa.

_'Interesting…'_

"Good to see you up brat."

"Thank you, Captain," replied Eren.

"I hope everyone filled you in on everything?" asked Levi.

Eren nodded in confirmation, "They have."

"Good, I'm afraid there will be no time for you to rest since you and Historia will be instrumental in Erwin's plan," began Levi, as he pulled out a piece of paper. "Which I have here," this caused the squad to lean forward in anticipation.

_'Huh, no Nifa this time,'_ Eren noticed, as he remembered the first time this happened.

"But Captain-" began Mikasa but was stopped as she felt Eren's hand grab hers, his head shaking slightly as he looked at her.

"It's fine Mikasa, this is more important," reasoned Eren.

Mikasa hesitated but nodded in acceptance. "Okay."

Levi shook his head slightly at Mikasa before carrying on, "So, regarding how to have Historia take the throne as Queen…"

"Huh? Q-Queen?" Historia's eyes widened, as did the rest of the squad, while Eren remained calm during this revelation.

Levi looked at Historia. "I forgot to tell you… As you know, the Reiss Family is the real Royal Family. This plan is centred around putting you, Historia, on that throne, for the sake of Humanity,"

Walking slowly towards Historia, until he was right in her face. "What I want to ask is; will you take the throne?"

Eyes wide, Historia replied, "I can't-"

"It doesn't matter," began Levi as he leaned closer to her. "Do it."

Unable to face her captain's calculating gaze, Historia looked away. "I'm… unfit for the role…"

"So, no?" asked Levi, his eyes were cold, glaring at her.

"I'm… unfit-"

Knowing what's about to come her way, Eren decided to pity her and intervene before Levi roughed her up. Putting a hand on her arm gently, grabbing her attention as well as everyone else's due to the surprising turn of events.

"Historia," Eren began, his gentle voice catching the Historia's attention as her eyes widened, a questioning look danced across her face. "I know what the Captain is asking is a lot, I can't begin to imagine what is going on in your mind right now… but you can do this, I know you can…"

"How?! How could you possibly believe someone like m-me can be queen…?" she looked away; eyes wide in absolute fear at the thought.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Eren gently turned her back towards him, "Because you're Historia Reiss, for all your life you have been thrown to the side like nothing and deep down, I know you would do anything to prove those people wrong… for Ymir and for yourself."

Her eyes widened in shock. "How-"

She gasped as Eren took her hand, causing a flood of memories to flash before her eyes, memories of a dark-haired older girl who took care of her and taught her how to read, the one person in her childhood that cared for her, the one that showed her what unconditional love felt like. Tears brimmed at her eyes as she remembered, how did she forget?

_'How… How could I forget her?'_ she looked up at Eren, her hand still tightly held in his grasp.

Eren smiled, realising the memories has returned to her. "For the people you care about, you must… live your life… with pride."

Her face took on an expression of shock as she stared wide-eyed at Eren, those were the exact words Ymir had said to her when they were attacked at Utgard Castle. This reminder made something inside of her snap. This was her closest friend's wish, Ymir wanted her to live with pride and that was exactly what she intends to do from now on. Eren was right, she wanted more than anything to prove to those people, who had wronged her, that she was strong, that what they did to her only made her stronger, not weaker and if being queen was the only way to do it…

_'Then so be it!'_

Her eyes flashed as her face hardened in determination, she looked back at Levi and shouted, "I'll do it! I'll show everyone who Historia Reiss is! I'll be the Queen!" she breathed deeply as she stared at Levi, her jaws clenched tight as a wave of strength washed over her, like a new spark of life just ignited inside of her.

Levi's face remained blank for several moments before a slight smirk made its way onto his normally stoic face.

"Alright… we're counting on you, Historia."

She gave him a nod, "Yes sir."

Eren listened as Levi carried on explaining Erwin's plan, it was pretty much the same as when he heard it the first time. He, as well as Historia, will be handed over to the Military Police's First Squad by the Reeves Company and then they will be followed, that was the plan anyway. Of course, the plan will not go smoothly, just like last time, but he was reluctant to alter these upcoming events. He needed that hardening ability and if he changed too many things, finding it would be a lot more difficult than it needed to be. This was the easiest, and safest, way to ensure he gets that hardening ability back and retake Wall Maria again.

After Levi finished explaining the plan, everybody scattered and started to prepare for the upcoming mission, while the two Reeves waited outside. Seeing that Levi was free, Eren walked over to ask the question he had been wanting to ask ever since learning that Annie did not crystallise after their fight.

"Captain," said Eren, grabbing Levi's attention.

Levi's gaze shifted to Eren. "Yes?"

"I want to talk to Annie," stated Eren.

Levi gave Eren a blank look as he spoke, "…Why?"

"If we can get Annie to fight for us, I think it will be hugely beneficial to our cause," reasoned Eren.

"And why do you believe she would even want to talk to us? She was the one that attacked _us,_ or have you forgotten that during that coma of yours?"

"Captain-"

"No."

Eren sighed in frustration. "Captain, please let me talk to Commander Erwin at least. If he says no, then that will be the last time you'll hear about this."

Levi continued to stare blankly at Eren. "I don't trust her," he stated.

Eren opened his mouth but Levi raised a hand, quieting Eren, before continuing, "But… I'll let you speak to Erwin once we carry out his plan."

Eren gave him an appreciative smile and nod before walking away, preparing himself for the upcoming mission. Once he was ready, he gathered in front of the house, with the rest of the squad.

Walking up to Armin, Eren placed a reassuring hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Stay safe Armin, and you better save my ass!"

"You can count on it," replied Armin.

Eren and Armin shared a brief smile before Eren started walking towards Mikasa, who had been watching the exchange in silence with a small smile lighting up her usually stoic face, happy to see her two childhood friends together.

"Mikasa," greeted Eren as he came to a stop in front of her, his voice was soft as he spoke, his tone was unfamiliar to ears that were used to the usual harshness of his voice throughout the years after the Shiganshina attack.

She felt emotions well up in inside of her as she realised, before he was in a coma, she thought that voice was lost many years ago, a voice that reminded her of simpler times, of a calmer, innocent, and happier Eren. When they played outside all day, with Armin, and came home to his loving family, the family that took her in and dulled the pain of losing her own parents.

She looked back at Eren, her face didn't show the emotions she was feeling inside, but Eren noticed, because despite everything if there was one person in the world that could read Mikasa like a book, it was Eren.

"Eren," she replied, her voice copying the soft tone he greeted her with.

Putting a gentle hand on her arm, Eren said, "Stay safe okay?"

Her eyes widened, still not used to the way Eren was treating her. "Y-yeah of course, you too…" she trailed off as Eren started pulling her closer until he was hugging her, she flushed red at the affectionate gesture but happily returned the hug, resting her head on his shoulder as he held her.

"I've never thanked you for all the times you've stood by my side," Eren began, Mikasa remained quiet as he continued. "So, thank you… for everything, for believing in me, for protecting me, for knocking sense into me when I was being stupid," he chuckled. "But most of all, thank you for being in my life…"

Mikasa's eyes widened as her eyes brimmed with tears, her hold on Eren tightened as she listened to him speak. An unfamiliar feeling welled up inside of her. She didn't know what to do, what could she say? She never expected this from Eren, he had _never_ spoken to her like this, not even when they were kids. All she wanted for the longest time was to just stay by his side. To listen to him _thank her_ for being in his life, the emotions she was feeling now was too much, even for her, as tears started leaking from her eyes and before she could even comprehend what happened, a sob escaped her as she buried her face in Eren's shoulder.

Everyone turned snapped their heads towards the embracing pair as the sound of sobbing reached their ears. Levi merely raised an eyebrow as he realised just exactly _who_ was sobbing, while everyone stared in surprise, seeing their comrade and friend express so much emotion, a sight they were not used to.

After a few moments, when Mikasa finally calmed, Eren leaned back from the hug to get a better look at her. Seeing tears still, slowly, leaking from her eyes. He gently wiped them away with his thumb as he stared at her face, taking in her features, she was beautiful and easily distinguishable from everyone else due to her oriental heritage. Leaning up slowly, Eren gently pressed his lips to Mikasa's forehead before leaning away. Her face flushed at the gesture.

"Oi brats! We have to go, save your lovey-dovey shit for after the mission!" bellowed Levi, causing the two teens to finally separate. Eren smiled sheepishly at the Captain, while Mikasa stare wide-eyed at the Captain, her face slightly red with embarrassment.

Turning to face Mikasa again, "See you on the other side Mikasa," said Eren, before making his way towards Historia, who was flanked by Dimo and Flegel Reeves.

_'Here we go again,'_ thought Eren as he came to a stop next to Historia.

* * *

Eren groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, squinting slightly at the brightness of the crystals that filled his vision. He froze as he realised that something was tied around his face, blocking his ability to speak.

_'God fucking dammit, this again! I forgot I was gagged!'_

"Eren?! Are you awake?!"

Looking down, he saw Historia looking up at him.

"Everything's okay, just hold on a little longer!" she said. "My father... has always been and will always be an ally to what's left of humanity inside these walls. We misunderstood him."

Eren just continued to stare at her like she was crazy.

Historia continued to try to justify her father's actions, "Yes, he interfered with the Survey Corps and he had Minister Nick and the Reeves men killed. But he didn't have any other choice," she paused. "It was… what he had to do for Humanity's sake."

Eren glared as he watched Rod Reiss walk up beside her. "Historia, let me explain the rest,"

Grabbing her hand, he led her up the stairs towards the chained Eren. "What is wrong? This is your first time here… but it wouldn't be odd if you remembered it."

As they stood behind Eren, Historia looked up at her father. "Father are you going to explain to Eren?" she asked.

"Yes… I plan to, but there's something I'd like to try," he began. "We only need to touch him. I suppose you could call it an explanation. He has the memory of what happened here somewhere inside of him," he turned towards Eren. "Doing this might make him remember… a slight trigger may be all that's needed in this place. That, or…" he trailed off as he and Historia placed their hands on Eren's bare back, then…

Nothing.

"So?" Rod Reiss began, "Now do you remember… your father's sin?"

Historia turned to her father. "…Father?" she said. "What do you mean his father's sins?"

Turning to look at her. "I once had five children, but five years ago, my wife and all of our children were killed in this place… by Grisha Yeager, his father," he explained, causing Historia's eyes to widen in shock.

"Grisha possessed Titan power, I didn't know who he was… he came here to steal away the power of the Reiss Family, and what Grisha sought was the Titan Power that resided inside my daughter, a beautiful girl with long, black hair, her name was Frieda… Frieda Reiss."

Historia stared up at her father. "Long, black hair? S-she was the one that taught me how to read and write… she was so kind to me and Eren's father killed her…?"

Rod's own eyes widened at this new information. "You knew Frieda?" he said, surprised. "I suppose she worried about you and checked in on you from time to time."

"W-what happened… how did she…?" Historia trailed off, staring at her father in expectation, the question was clear.

"Frieda… she possessed the greatest of all the Titan's. Her Titan possessed an invincible power, but… she lacked the experience needed to exploit its full potential and so, unable to unleash her true abilities… Frieda was eaten by Grisha… who stole that power away," he explained, his eyes looked solemn as he looked back at his remaining daughter.

Eren closed his eyes as he blocked Rod's voice out, he didn't need to hear this. He knew what his father did, he saw through his father's eyes how he had killed each of Rod Reiss's children but in the end, it was the only way… This was something Eren had learned throughout the years as he carried out actions that were worse than anything his father did and he did it with no hesitation, just like his father, in the name of freedom.

Historia glanced at Eren. "My poor sister… How could he do such a terrible thing?"

It was at that moment that Kenny Ackerman strolled in, telling Rod Reiss to hurry up and do what needs to be done as it was only a matter of time before the Survey Corps find where they were before walking back out, preparing to face the incoming invasion. It was a relief to Eren to know that the Coup D'état was a success, just like last time.

Eren watched as Rod Reiss disappeared and returned with a briefcase.

"It seems we're finally alone," Rod said.

"Father…"

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting, Historia."

"Father… what is that?" she asked, watching as her father pulled out a small case before opening it, revealing its contents. He pulled the syringe out before filling it with the liquid that was in the vial, which came from the same small case as the syringe.

Standing up, he placed a hand on Historia's shoulder. "Listen Historia," he said. "This may sound ridiculous to you, but Frieda hasn't died yet."

Historia stared at her father, wide-eyed. "…What?"

"Frieda's memories live on. Do you want to meet your sister?"

Historia smiled at the thought. "Yeah… I do…"

A loud boom echoed in the crystal cave, alerting Rod Reiss that the Survey Corps was closing in on them.

Turning his head towards Eren, Rod asked, "Why are you so quiet Eren Yeager? Have you not figured out your fate?"

"What?" asked Historia, confused.

Turning back to look at his daughter again. "The power his father stole will be returned to its rightful place, Historia. Inside of you."

"Huh?"

Rod went on the explain how Frieda was the only one that knew the true history of the world before a century ago and that if she still had her power, she could've stopped all that has happened in their world. Which was questioned by Historia, as she was confused as to why it wasn't stopped already.

They were interrupted as Kenny Ackerman appeared again, expressing his desire to take the power of the Titans before threatening Rod with his gun but before anything could happen, Historia grabbed hold of his gun, blocking any movement.

Snatching his gun away, he turned to Historia. "Ya get it, right? After what he tolda ya? This old man's tryin' to turn ya into a monster and make ya eat Eren."

Historia's eyes widened before taking on an expression of determination. "Aren't those _my_ orders? What's so sad about becoming a Titan and saving all of humanity?"

"Huh... Ya think it's your mission to eat your friend and upset your little tummy?" replied Kenny.

Historia glared at him. "Yes… I'm going to eat Eren and bring my sister back! Then I'll inherit the history of this world, and… wipe out all the Titans! That… is my mission!"

"Whoa, who. Hold on. Historia? Have ya forgotten what your dad did to ya?" he said, before explaining the circumstances of her birth, how he was ordered to make kill her mother and the reason why her father even saved her was because of her blood. He went on further to say her father never cared about anyone, not even his family, he only cared about protecting himself before dropping him.

Eren watched as Kenny made his way up the stairs towards him, _'Finally,'_ Eren released a relieved sigh as the gag was released from his mouth. He winced as Kenny sliced his forehead open before flying out of there.

Stretching his neck, he sighed as he listened to Rod as he tried to convince Historia to take the injection. He chuckled, its volume slowly increasing until it became full-blown laughter as he thought about everything Rod said to Historia. He never realised how much of a liar he was.

"Eren…?" said Historia, her voice mixed with confusion.

His laughing stopped abruptly. "Don't you see Historia?"

"Huh?"

"Don't you see how much of a _liar_ your father is?" he glared at the man in question.

"Everything about saving humanity was a lie! A lie!" he shouted, anger leaking into his voice as he spoke, "How many Reiss family members have inherited this Titan and why did none of them _save_ humanity huh? Because they can't! And I know exactly why!"

His lips twitched upwards into a smirk as he watched Rod's face morph into one of fear and shock. "Yeah, that's right… I know… I know everything, Rod Reiss. No one in the Reiss family can save humanity because it's the King's will… every Reiss that inherited this Titan was influenced by the King's will to the point of being slaves to it! The truth is…" he turned to Historia, his voice becoming soft, "If you take this Titan, Historia, you will be influenced too and the cycle will continue. So, please… don't do it."

He gave her a genuine smile as he voiced his next words, "Live your life… with pride."

Her eyes widened as a memory of Ymir flashed in front of her mind. Her eyes shifted to the syringe that she held in her grasp, her eyes filled with anger as Eren's words sunk in.

"No."

"Historia?" said Rod.

Turning to look at her father, her face now morphed into an expression of anger, "I won't do it."

Grabbing her arm tightly in desperation. "Historia-"

Pulling her arm away, she threw the injection to the ground, shattering it.

"HISTORIA!" he screamed as he grabbed her harshly.

With a swift move, Historia slammed her father to the ground before shouting, "What a load of bull! You're just trying to save yourself! I've had enough!"

She snatched the briefcase and ran up the stairs towards Eren. Once she was behind him, she hastily grabbed the keys and started to unchain him. After pulling the chain, that was wrapped around his waist, loose, there was a huge explosion in front of them as Rod Reiss started transforming into a Titan.

_'Ah shit,'_ Eren thought as he felt the gust of hot air hit him, causing the contents of the briefcase to spill behind them while Historia grabbed onto Eren, steadying herself, as she tried to unlock the locks around his ankles but it wasn't long before Historia was blown backwards, only managing to unlock one of the two locks.

Before her head cracked against the wall, she was caught by a strong hand. Squinting slightly, she looked at her saviour, it was Mikasa.

"You okay?"

"Mikasa!" exclaimed Historia, relieved to see a familiar face.

Eren looked back at the approaching squad, "Guys! Hurry, get me out of these damn chains!"

Jean, Connie, and Levi scrambled up to Eren. Jean grabbed hold of Eren's right arm as he fought against the gusts of hot air trying to blow them backwards while Levi grabbed the other. Connie, the one with the keys, wrapped an arm around Eren's waist as he tried to set his remaining ankle loose.

"Hurry up, Connie!" shouted Levi as he struggled against the force pushing against him.

"Damnit, I'm trying! There are just so many bloody keys!" shouted Connie as he fumbled with the keys, trying to find the right one.

Looking up, Levi stated, "That roof is going to collapse."

Jean watched in horror as the Titan in front of them continued to grow, not even the roof could stop it as the growth of the Titan cracked the crystal roof, causing pieces of it to start falling everywhere as it slowly fell apart around the Titan.

Looking up, Jean watched as a massive piece, right above them, dislodged and started falling.

"Got it!" shouted Connie as the last chain was released with a resounding click.

"Ah! Move!" shouted Jean as he grabbed Eren and jumped back, with Levi and Connie, just as the large piece of the roof that dislodged came crashing down on the spot where they just stood.

Huddled up near the stairs, Squad Levi watched as everything around them fell apart as the gigantic Titan in front of them continued to grow.

"This is bad! How the fuck do we get out?!" shouted Jean.

Eren knew exactly what to do. After grabbing the Armoured Serum from Rod's briefcase, that was on the ground next to him, he stood up and opened the bottle before downing it all in one go. Wiping his mouth, he took one step forward.

"Stay back," ordered Eren as he observed the familiar scene in front of him, he got what he came here to do; to get back his hardening ability and now it's time to end this.

"W-what the fuck are you doing?" shouted Jean.

Eren looked back at Jean, smirking. "I'm getting everyone out of here alive," he said before running at Rod's Titan. As he got to the end of the platform, he jumped and bit his hand while mid-air, in a flash of lightning, the Attack Titan has emerged.

As soon as he was in his Titan form, Eren thrusted his hands to the side and started to crystallise. Like a parasite, Eren started producing streams of this armour substance and everyone watched as it spread around the area, forming a protective layer that prevented the roof from crashing down on them.

"Eren!" shouted a worried Mikasa as she ran towards the hardened form of Eren's Titan.

* * *

Historia just had her coronation; she was Queen now. After Eren saved everyone from the collapsing crystal cave, they waited at Orvud District for Rod's Titan and when he finally arrived, the events that transpired were pretty much the same compared to Eren's original reality.

Eren stood a good distance away from the crowd, leaning against a building with his arms folded as he watched the celebrations from afar. His eyes scanned the area, he was looking around for Captain Levi.

He sighed. "Why does Captain Levi have to be such a midget," he muttered to himself.

"What was that brat?"

Whipping his head around in absolute horror, Eren's eyes widened in absolute terror as he laid eyes on Levi. Taking a nervous step back, he put his hands up in front of his face, fearing a beatdown.

"N-nothing, I-I didn't say anything, I swear! Must be the wind! Yeah must be!" he chuckled nervously as Levi continued to stare him down or was it up? This caused him to shrink further within himself in fear as the seconds ticked by.

"There is no wind," Levi deadpanned.

Sweat started forming on Eren's forehead as he stared fearfully into the cold, emotionless eyes of his Captain. _'Please don't beat me up…'_

"Eren."

Eren sighed in relief when the sound of Commander Erwin's voice reached his ears. Looking past Levi, Eren saw Commander Erwin, who was looking at him intently. Levi must've told Erwin about his request.

"I'm glad to see you up and alive, you have recovered exceptionally well for someone who had been in a coma for around a month," said Erwin. "Must be your accelerated regenerative ability."

Straightening himself up, Eren replied, "Yes sir, I feel good and ready to contribute in whatever way I can."

"Good," replied Erwin. "Levi told me that you wanted to speak to me about Annie, more specifically, your request to speak to Annie Leonhart."

"Yes sir, with the information we could potentially gain from Annie as well as her Titan shifting abilities, she would be a valuable asset to our survival," reasoned Eren.

Erwin's face took on a thoughtful expression as he pondered Eren's words. "I can definitely see the advantages of having Annie Leonhart on our side," he said. "And you're willing to do this, even after what she did to you? You're willing to take this risk? She could betray us all."

Eren nodded. "Yes sir, she could but at the same time, she could be invaluable to us. Risks must be taken for our survival; we don't have the luxury of playing it safe."

Erwin smiled as Eren said those words, he understood those words more than anyone. "If that's the case, I'll let Levi take you to see her, as well as anyone from your squad that wishes to do the same. However, she is due to go on trial for her crimes in the coming days. Whether she is even allowed to live is not up to me, that decision falls on General Darius Zackly. Of course, we will make a case, or more specifically, _you_ will make a case for her."

Eren's eyes widened at this, it was to be expected but this does complicate things. It was nearly guaranteed that everyone in that courtroom will want Annie's head on a spike for what she had done. How in the world was he supposed to convince everyone in the courtroom, especially General Zackly, to keep Annie alive?

"Do you think you can convince those people in that courtroom?" asked Erwin.

Eren's eyes flashed with determination, he nodded.

Erwin turned to Levi. "What about you Levi? What do you think we should do with Annie?"

Levi tensed. "She killed my squad," he stated simply, his eyes were blank as he looked Erwin in the eye. "But… I'll trust your judgement Erwin, like I always have," turning to look at Eren, "If you manage to keep her alive, just know if she steps one foot out of line, I'll kill her myself. Understood?"

"Yes sir," replied Eren.

"Good. The date of the trial is five days from now, be here before noon. Levi will take you to her, go and gather anyone from your squad that wishes to accompany you."

* * *

"Eren, she's a traitor," warned Mikasa as she glanced at Eren while they, with Jean, Sasha, and Armin followed Captain Levi down the steps that lead to Annie's holding cell.

Eren sighed, "I know Mikasa, but did we ever find out _why_ she did everything she did?"

"No-"

"Then let's hear her out, I know how you must feel but she could prove invaluable to the Survey Corps," reasoned Eren

Mikasa looked worriedly at Eren as she grabbed a hold of his sleeves, bringing them to a stop. Eren gave her a sympathetic look, he knew now how worried she had been throughout their years together in the Survey Corps, but he had to try. He promised to do things differently this time around and Annie could be the first major change that will set the course of this reality into a future that meant everyone he cared about lived long happy lives.

Removing her hand from his sleeve and holding it gently in his grasp, Eren said, "Trust me."

Mikasa looked at Eren with worried eyes but eventually surrendered. "Fine, but I'll kill her if she does anything that hinders us."

Eren chuckled as they started walking again. "Don't worry, the Captain is already on it."

They continued to walk in silence until they saw a single locked wooden door, which was lit faintly by two torches that were placed on the walls on either side of the door. Their footsteps echoed off the walls as they walked closer to what they assume was Annie's prison.

"Alright, we're here. As requested, Eren will talk to her alone first and if any of you want to talk to her after, be my guest," said Levi.

Turning towards the door, Levi brought out a set of keys before inserting one into the lock that was on the door. With a twist and a click, the door unlocked. Levi slowly twisted the handle before pushing the door open.

"Who's there?" Annie's voice sounded loud as it pierced through the silence.

Grabbing one of the torches from the wall, Levi held it towards Eren. "It's time, go in."

Eren took a deep breath. Taking the torch off Levi, he slowly walked into the darkness. He glanced briefly towards the door as he heard it shut behind him. Noticing a holder for torches on the wall next to the door, he placed his torch on it, allowing it to lightly illuminate the dark room.

"Eren…"

Slowly turning around, he looked towards the wall that was furthest away from the door. There she was; Annie. She was chained up against the wall, wearing rags while each limb was shackled, forcing her against the wall. Her legs and arms were forced wide apart from each other by the chains, preventing her from transforming. Not like transforming in a cramped place like this was going to do any good. Her facial features were unhealthily sharp as she had lost weight, there were dark circles under her eyes, giving her a dull deathly look while her skin took on a paler complexion due to the lack of sunlight. Her usually well-kept blonde hair was frizzled and fell in front of her eyes.

"Annie," Eren greeted curtly, he walked towards her and sat down on the chair that was already placed in front of her.

"I thought I killed you…" her voice croaked from the lack of use.

"It's going to take a lot more than that to kill me. You know me, I don't know when to give up," he replied.

She continued to stare at him through emotionless, dead, eyes. "Why are you here?" she whispered.

"It's simple," he began. "I want you to help me. I want you to help the Survey Corps."

Annie's eyes widened, surprised. "Why… why would you want me to help you? Why do you think I would ever agree to this? Don't you see… I was part of the group that attacked Shiganshina, I was part of the reason your _mother_ died."

Eren's face remained impassive as he listened to her. "I know," he began, he has had years to get used to that fact. "But I also know _why_ you did it. I know about Marley, I know about Liberio and the Warriors programme. I know exactly how us _Eldians_ are treated in Marley."

"H-how…?" Annie sputtered; how did he know? Could it be he unlocked the memories of previous holders of his Titan?

"Does it matter?" questioned Eren. "I want to bring change to this hate-filled world. I want Eldians free from that hate, I want everyone in these walls and all those Eldians in Marley to be _free_," leaning forward, he looked Annie dead in the eyes. "And I want _you_ to help me bring about this change."

Her eyes dropped to the ground, she whispered, "But… I just don't care… why should I? All I want to do is go home," she looked back at Eren. "I just want to go back home to my father." her voice broke a little as she spoke, a lone tear escaped her eye at the thought of her father, waiting for her.

Eren leaned back on his chair. "Did you ever care about any of us Annie?" he asked.

Annie was taken back by that question; she didn't expect it. She looked away from him. Did she care about them? She honestly doesn't know. She had always told herself repeatedly over the years that these people were nothing to her but was it wrong of her to admit that she did indeed care, even if just a little? She was human after all. She wasn't stupid, after spending all those years on this island, it was clear these people weren't devils, they were just… people.

"You know Annie…" Eren began, his voice bringing Annie out of her thoughts. "Before all this, before we found out that you were the Female Titan, I thought of you as a friend."

Annie was rendered speechless.

Seeing her expression, he said, "Is it that surprising? We spent a lot of time training together during our cadet years. You taught me your fighting technique and it has stuck with me, even now. I respected and valued you as a friend, someone that I trusted," Eren sighed. "Did you know I refused to accept that you were the Female Titan even though Armin said you were? It hurt me to know who you were and what you did, I refused to accept it even though my oldest friend Armin, whose words I trust above all, told me so."

Annie continued to just stare at Eren as he spoke. What was she supposed to say? She never had a 'friend', nor did she ever consider anyone close enough to be one but now here he was, someone who thought of her as such and from the sound of things, he considered her as a relatively close friend. Was he just saying these things to try and break her down? Was he lying? Annie prized herself as someone who was exceptionally good at reading people and from what she could gather, Eren was being truthful and that scared her. She always thought having friends were just distractions, weaknesses. But maybe… just maybe she was wrong…

She was brought out of her musings when Eren stood up abruptly, she watched curiously as he got a little closer to her. "I don't know your father, but I do understand your devotion to him. He is your father, and nothing will change that." He stated. "Despite everything you have done, you _were_ my friend even if you didn't view me the same way. Believe it or not, I _want_ to help you. So, please, let me help you Annie."

She stared at him in disbelief, how could he say that after everything she had done? "Why?! Are you really going to forget about everything just because you think I'm your _friend_? You have every right to kill me and you're just going to let me go?" she said, her voice was laced with disbelief.

"No," he began curtly. "I want to change this world, to do that I must not fall victim to the endless cycle of death. You're right, I do have every right to kill you right here and right now. But what's the point? I may be willing to help you Annie but don't get it twisted, I don't _forget_," his eyes flashed dangerously as he said those words, causing Annie to lean back a little with the unfamiliar look. Sure, Eren was dangerous, fuelled by revenge, anyone with that kind of fire was dangerous but the look he just gave her sent a feeling of ice-cold ruthlessness that she had never associated Eren with. He was different from the person she remembered.

"You're different," she stated.

Eren chuckled. "More than you know Annie, more than you know…" he looked at her intently. "Look, your trial is in a few days. I will vouch for you. Everyone will want you dead and I will be the only person vouching for you on behalf of the Survey Corps. You need to make a choice; will you help me or not? Think about it. I'll see you at the trial Annie," he turned away from her and started making his way towards the exit.

"I-" she stuttered. "Eren…"

He stopped just before he reached the door, glancing back, he replied, "Yes?"

She looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "I… Thank you…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper but he heard her, his slightly widened eyes showed that.

He gave her a small smile before opening the door and walking out. With a click as the door closed, Annie was alone again. She sighed and slumped against the wall, the chains around her wrists holding her up. _'What the fuck just happened?'_

* * *

The day of Annie's trial has finally come. Eren, Erwin, and Levi stood on one side of the courtroom while several soldiers of the Survey Corps stood behind them. The Military Police stood on the other side, just like they had during Eren's trial. The room was filled with various people of importance, quietly discussing the details of the trial amongst themselves.

General Zackly sat on the judges' chair as he looked over the documents in front of him, he analysed the information about Annie Leonhart critically, information such as her crimes, her training, and her past or lack thereof regarding the latter. Next to him, sat Queen Historia who had decided to attend the trial.

The room quieted down when the entrance of the room opened, followed by sounds of chain rattling against the ground as Annie Leonhart appeared before the courtroom, flanked by two Survey Corps soldiers, who were dragging her roughly to the centre of the room. Just like they did with Eren during his trial, they brought her to her knees and locked her in place.

Darius Zackly cleared his throat. "We shall now begin the trial of Annie Leonhart."


	5. Annie's Trial

**Chapter 5: Annie's Trial**

General Zackly cleared his throat. "Annie Leonhart. Because of the circumstances of this case, this will be a Military Tribunal. That means your fate has been entrusted to me, do you understand?"

Annie looked down, her unkempt hair falling in front of her, hiding her eyes from everyone as she replied, "Yes…"

"I'm glad," Zackly began. "Now, objectively this case is one of, if not the most clear-cut case I've ever seen during my time as Commander-in-Chief of the three Military branches."

Annie's eyes widened as she continued to stare at the ground, a feeling of panic and fear welled up inside her as she heard those words. Doubt started to cloud her mind as various scenarios flashed through her head. Was she going to die? Did Eren just give her false hope?

Hope. That was what she felt when Eren came to talk to her a few days ago. He had given her hope that maybe she may live long enough to see her father again. She thought about his words after he left. She even started to believe in them. Was the world Eren dreamt of possible? Years ago, she would have scoffed and laughed at the very idea of such a world; she would've never cared to strive for such hopeless things. But maybe… just maybe it was time to change, to care, to fight… to fight for a world where Eldians didn't have to suffer, the way she and many others did. She had always dreamt of a world where she and her father could just be a _family_, a world where they could enjoy life and not be shunned because they were Eldians. She never thought she would see the day where she felt hope for this dream, to believe that it may be _possible_. But here she was, hoping and praying that she may live through this to see such a world, to help build it.

She made her decision after that talk with Eren but can Eren pull this off? Or has her fate already been decided?

"But," her head shot up. "Luckily for you, I cannot simply decide to have you executed. I must follow a certain process," he paused. "Today, we're here to decide which branch of the Military will have the responsibility of determining your fate. Under normal circumstances, this would fall to the branch you were a part of, in your case; The Military Police Brigade. However, these are not normal circumstances. Due to your nature as a Titan shifter, I must recognise the fact that the Survey Corps are more prepared to deal with you than the other branches. Now… moving on to why we're here today, let's hear from the Survey Corps first."

Erwin stepped forward; his voice boomed across the courtroom as he spoke. "I am Commander Erwin Smith of the Survey Corps. Usually, I would be the one speaking on behalf of the Survey corps but today, I am delegating this responsibility to Eren Yeager of the Special Operations Squad."

Murmurs broke out in the courtroom as Erwin said those words. Some were expressing their disbelief that the Survey Corps Commander would hand over such a responsibility to a fifteen-year-old soldier, who had only been in the Survey Corps for a few months. Historia stared wide-eyed at an impassive-looking Eren; this was a surprise to her.

"Quiet! Quiet!" demanded Zackly, causing the murmurs in the room to dissolve until only a few whispers could be heard.

Eren cleared his throat. "I am Eren Yeager of the Survey Corps and a member of the Special Operations Squad, otherwise known as Squad Levi," he paused for a moment. "As many of you already know, I am the Titan Shifter that fights for the Survey Corps."

Murmurs broke out. For some, this was their first time seeing the Titan Shifter that they heard so much about in the flesh.

Once the murmurs disappeared, he continued. "The person in front of us, Annie Leonhart, has no doubt ruined many lives. That is unforgivable. However, she possesses great power and important information about our _real_ enemies and that, in these current times, is invaluable." Annie held her breath as she continued to listen. "Our proposition is simple. Give Annie Leonhart to us, the Survey Corps, and we will retake Wall Maria."

As soon as he finished, a huge uproar broke out as angry mutterings filled the room, people looked at Eren in shock and anger, the idea of letting her live was unacceptable.

"Silence!" shouted Eren, the room became deathly quiet as his voice reverberated around the courtroom.

Historia, Erwin, and Levi looked at Eren in surprise.

Eren looked around briefly, making sure everyone's attention was on him again. "Believe me, I understand what you are thinking. I have lost countless people I care about to the attacks carried out by Annie and the other shifters."

Eren leaned forward, gripping the fence in front of him as he remembered all the pain he suffered in the future. Their betrayals cracked him, but the death they caused as a result shattered him to pieces. If Jean wasn't there, he wasn't sure he would have been able to slowly piece together what was left of him.

"I lost my mother to them," he stated. "I lost friends and my home to them. So many shared the same fate," he took a deep breath before he continued. "For those of you who don't know, these people that attacked us, I would have called them friends, my trusted comrades… Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover, and Annie Leonhart."

Annie looked away. She knew what she had done but to hear Eren say it so bluntly; it was too much; it was like a dam just opened, releasing all the guilt she had locked away over the years.

"Their betrayal broke me," he stated. "To think that I spent years with them, training together, eating together, suffering together… To think that these were the people that I would have sacrificed my own life for, it sickened me to know that everything was a lie."

Annie closed her eyes as the truth hit her again and again.

"So, trust me when I say this… I know how you all feel."

Eren was met with silence as he finished his speech. Looking around, he noticed many looking at him with widened eyes. Some looked at him with shock, while others looked at him with respect and sadness. Respect that somebody, that was barely a teenager, was able to overcome all this and sadness at the fact that he had to endure such pain at such a young age. After recent revelations, it was not hard to see that perhaps the soldiers of the Survey Corps did not deserve the hate that was directed at them in the past.

After a few moments of silence, Eren started to speak again. "Yet, despite all this, I know we must do put our personal feelings aside and do the hardest things to ensure the survival of humanity, don't you all agree?"

He was met with various nods and sounds of agreement.

Eren nodded, satisfied with the response. He turned to General Zackly. "General, let Annie Leonhart live and entrust the Survey Corps with her fate. With her, we will retake Wall Maria and free the people from the Titans, but that is not all. It is not only her power that is invaluable but as I mentioned earlier, it is also her knowledge."

Zackly looked at Eren in slight confusion. "You talk of this knowledge like as if you know already, yet I am left confused as to what knowledge she has that surpasses the importance of her Titan Shifting powers. What could she possibly know that means keeping her alive is the better option?"

Eren looked around the courtroom, what they were about to find out will rock the very foundation of their world, just as it did in his reality. He remembered when he decided to reveal this information to Erwin, a few days after his conversation with Annie.

_Flashback_

_Eren waited patiently outside Erwin's office, his eyes squinting slightly as he stared out of the window, the sun blinding him with its brightness. He had decided that he should reveal the truth about their current situation to Erwin, which was why he was waiting outside his office. He had thought about it during the days following his talk with Annie and he had no good reason to not let Erwin know; he was the Commander, and he had always felt that if Erwin had lived in his original reality, maybe peace would have been achieved with a smaller price._

_He would never change what happened. Captain Levi chose Armin and he would easily do the same but Commander Erwin… he was exactly what Eldia needed in his reality, he would have driven them forward and he would have done exactly what needed to be done. Eren, himself, ended up finding himself in that kind of role but he wasn't Erwin, no one was like Commander Erwin._

_The fact that he was in a coma for a month could easily be used to explain how he got this sudden knowledge. Maybe, in the future, he may reveal his true origins to the people close to him but right now, he cannot afford to deal with any unforeseen reactions, time is an essence and he cannot waste any on his journey to bring about this new world._

_Eren's head turned as he heard the office door open, revealing a soldier. He watched as the soldier walked away, his eyes following him._

_"Eren."_

_Eren's eyes shifted towards the voice. "Commander," he greeted with a salute._

_"Come on in, I heard that you wanted to speak to me."_

_Eren followed Erwin into his office, their footsteps silent as they made their way towards their seats._

_Once they were sat down, Erwin began to speak. "So, what is it you wanted to speak to me about Eren?"_

_Eren leaned forward. "There is something that I recently discovered, something that will make us question everything that we know."_

_Erwin leaned forward, his elbows on the table. "Make us question everything we know…" he repeated as he leaned back on his chair. "My curiosity is piqued, what have you discovered?"_

_"The truth."_

_Erwin's eyes widened. "The truth?" he asked. 'Is this what I think it is…? Has he discovered something about the… outside world?'_

_"As you know, I have been in a coma for a month," began Eren. "During that time, I saw glimpses of… my father's memories. I have told no one because I needed time to understand, to make sense of everything but now… I think I have learned the truth or at least a big part of it. I know the truth about the Titans and… the world."_

_Erwin leaned forward, his anticipation mounting. Was this the truth his father tried to find?_

_"We are not the last of humanity, we never have been, that much is clear to me."_

_Erwin's eyes widened and held his breath in anticipation._

_"We are part of a nation called Eldia and we, Eldians, are mostly made of people known as the Subjects of Ymir. We have only lived behind these walls for the last one hundred years. We never originated here… no… we retreated here, and the first King, Karl Fritz, made the three walls we know today using countless Colossal Titans and erased the knowledge of the outside world from all Subjects of Ymir using the Founding Titan," explained Eren._

_Erwin stayed silent for a moment as he digested this information; this proved his father's theory. The King did alter people's memories; they were trying to hide the truth this whole time._

_"But why did he erase this knowledge, what good would that do?"_

_"Because he wanted peace, but he believed Eldians should have never existed," started Eren. "Eldia was at war with a newly reborn nation called Marley and Eldia was losing. The King gathered the royal family and the people of Eldia and moved here, a place called Paradis Island, and he threatened to use the Colossals, that are in these walls, to destroy the world but he was lying, he made a vow renouncing war to ensure that his successors can never use the Founding Titan's power to retaliate if the walls ever fell, in which they did."_

_Erwin nodded in understanding, the pieces finally fitting together in his head. "You mention that we Eldians are made out of people known as Subjects of Ymir, what makes someone a Subject of Ymir?"_

_"People that are a Subject of Ymir can turn into a Titan," answered Eren._

_Erwin's eyes widened in understanding. "So not everyone can turn into a Titan?" he asked._

_Eren shook his head in response. "No."_

_"But then where are these Titans coming from?"_

_Eren looked remorseful as he said his next words. "Not everyone made it to these walls."_

_Erwin's face took on an expression of realisation. "So, then Marley has been sending Eldians to this Island as… punishment?"_

_Eren nodded._

_"You said that most of Eldia were Subjects of Ymir, so who were the others?"_

_"I'm not sure of them all but I know that the Asian and the Ackerman clan were the only ones to reject the King's ideology, as a result, they were hunted down and killed to prevent them from spreading the truth of the outside world as people that were not Subjects of Ymir were immune to the Founding Titan's powers."_

_"Ackerman? Like Mikasa Ackerman?" asked Erwin._

_Eren nodded. "Yes, I believe Mikasa is a descendant of both the Asian and Ackerman clan. Thinking about it now, I don't think she could turn into a Titan if she was to be injected," stated Eren._

_Erwin leaned forward again. "Do you have more proof to back up what you are saying? It's not that I don't trust you but with this information, the best action is to spread the truth, but I cannot do that without further proof."_

_Eren nodded, understanding that not everyone will just take the words of one person as fact. "Yes, I believe my father has left something that would explain the truth in its entirety to us in that basement but that is not all… we also have Annie," said Eren._

_Realisation dawned on Erwin. "Annie… she is from… Marley, isn't she?"_

_Eren nodded. "I plan to use this to keep her alive in the trial, which is why I come here today; to tell you beforehand since you are my Commander and probably one of the most important factors in this inevitable fight we will undoubtedly have against Marley, if we are to truly be free."_

_Erwin leaned back on his chair as he thought about Eren's words. After a few moments, he suddenly stood up. "Eren, thank you for telling me all this, let's start our journey towards freedom." Erwin held his hand out._

_Eren slowly stood up, grasped Erwin's hand. "For freedom," he replied. Eren then saluted before leaving._

_Once the door closed again, Erwin sat back down, a slight smile on his face as he thought about what he had just learned. 'Father, you were right, your theory was right.' he looked at the closed door. 'Thank you… Eren Yeager.'_

_Flashback end_

Eren looked towards Annie, who looked back in confusion. "Annie, tell everyone in this room the truth, the truth about our world."

Annie looked at Eren in shock. "Wha-"

"Tell them!" demanded Eren. "If you want to live, tell them."

Annie looked around the room, a feeling of unease tickled her as she felt everyone's eyes on her. She looked down, her hair falling in front of her face to shield her from all the eyes.

She took a deep breath and spoke. "I… I come from a place outside these walls, a place called Marley."

Murmurs broke out in the courtroom, many in shock as they expressed their disbelief that there seems to a place outside these walls that had human inhabitants.

"Marley? Are you saying there are some humans outside these walls?" asked Zackly.

Annie nodded. "Yes, more than just some… Humanity is far from extinction. They're thriving outside these walls," she replied.

Shock reverberated around the courtroom as the bystanders digested this information.

Zackly leaned forward, despite his indifferent expression, he was feeling his own shock at this unexpected revelation. "Then why have we not seen them?"

"Because… they're the reason Titans are attacking," Annie looked up, her eyes looked frantic as the guilt of what she had done came crashing down on her. "And I was a part of it… Marley sent me wipe out the people that lived behind these walls… It was my fault, everything… everything…"

The room went silent.

"Sir!"

Zackly turned towards Eren.

"I believe my father had left something that will tell us the truth in its entirety back in the basement in Shiganshina. Allow Annie Leonhart to live, give her to the Survey Corps to aid in the mission to retake Wall Maria and allow us to find out the full truth of the world beyond the walls, so we can make our first step towards true freedom."

The silence stretched for several moments.

Zackly stood up, all eyes on him as he spoke. "Do you, the Military Police, have a proposition?"

Nile Dok shook his head, he had decided to put his faith in Erwin ever since the government was overthrown. "No sir, we do not have a proposition."

"And do you, the Garrison Regiment, have a proposition?"

Pixis shook his head too. "No, we will put our trust in the Survey Corps."

Zackly then looked around the courtroom once more. "Then I have made my decision," he began. He looked down at Annie. "Annie Leonhart, you are to be given to the Survey Corps and you are to aid them in their retake of Wall Maria and you are to reveal any information regarding the outside world to the Survey Corps, failure to do so will result in your elimination. Do you understand?"

Annie nodded numbly; her heart slammed against her chest rapidly as she stared wide-eyed at the General. She looked over at Eren, who stood stoically next to Erwin and Levi.

'I see it now… If anyone could bring peace to this hate-filled world, I have no doubt it would be you…'

* * *

After the trial, it was decided that the Levi Squad was to be the squad that watched over Annie Leonhart. It was the most logical choice because of the presence of Captain Levi and Eren Yeager, the only other Titan Shifter within Survey Corp's ranks.

Annie was being transported to the Survey Corp's headquarters in Trost; her hands were still chained together as she sat inside a carriage. Across from her sat Eren, being the only other occupant in the carriage. Levi and Erwin were in a separate carriage ahead of them.

Annie had sat in silence for most of the journey so far, too many thoughts going through her head. She was still feeling numb from the trial, partly from disbelief but mostly from the relief of not being executed. She wasn't afraid of death, but did she want to die? No, she didn't. There was still so much she still wanted to do, and she didn't exactly have all the time in the world, with only six more years left before the Curse of Ymir takes her, she needed to make those count.

She looked at Eren, who seemed to be deep in thought. "Eren," she said.

Eren jumped a little as he was abruptly taken out of his thoughts. "Yes?" he replied.

Annie hesitated a little. "I… I just wanted to say thank you, for doing what you did."

Eren looked surprised as he heard those words. "I didn't do it for you as a favour Annie. I did it because I believe it will benefit the people behind these walls," he said.

Annie nodded slightly. "I know but… thank you, either way. I don't think I will ever be able to repent for what I've done but I hope that one day, I can come close to it."

Eren nodded before turning his head to look out of the window again, watching the rubble, that Trost has become, coming into view. Luckily, the headquarters wasn't destroyed, but they were the only ones in Trost as it was being rebuilt.

The carriage suddenly stopped as a shout of "We're here" came from outside Annie and Eren's carriage.

Annie stood up and stepped off the carriage, Eren followed closely behind. As she walked, she noticed the huge areas of crushed buildings.

She looked at Eren in confusion. "What happened here?" she asked, curious to know what had destroyed Trost to this extent.

Eren looked at her with an unreadable expression. "Bertolt, Reiner, and Zeke," he simply stated.

Annie's eyes widened. "They attacked?" she asked.

"Yes."

Annie hesitated a little, not sure if she wanted to know what happened next. "A-and what happened to them?"

Eren looked at her for a moment silently. "I ate Bertolt," he stated plainly. "After that, Reiner and Zeke retreated."

Annie looked down, not knowing how to react to such news. Sure, she was never _that_ close to Bertolt, yet the many years they spent together as comrades meant she cared about him, even if only a little. Still, there was no point thinking about it now. She has another goal now, and this time it was something she agreed with; freedom for Eldians in both Paradis and Marley. It was also the only thing she could do that may allow her to see her father again, and that was something she wanted above all.

"Oh," she looked back up. "So, you have the Colossal?"

Eren nodded in response as they continued walking towards the Survey Corp's headquarters.

As she walked, she thought back to what he said moments ago and something he said caught her attention. "How do you know Zeke?" she asked, curious.

Sure, she knew Zeke's last name was Yeager too, but it wasn't exactly a rare surname among Eldians, and she doubted they had time to exchange names when they fought. If he knew about Zeke, it must have been through memories of previous holders of his Titan, meaning it could just be Bertolt's memories but if it was not then…

Her eyes widened. _'No way, are they… related?'_

To be honest, when she thought about it. She didn't know her former War Chief at all. He never talked about his life; she knew nothing about his past. Yet, it would be so rare to have two closely related people live in both Marley and Paradis.

Eren paused in his stride and tilted his head to look at Annie. "He's… my brother," he started. He noticed the look of shock on her face. "You didn't know?" he asked, surprised.

Annie shook her head. "No, we knew nothing about Zeke and the last name Yeager wasn't a rare surname, there were many families that had Yeager as a last name," she paused for a moment as they continued their walk. "Could you do it? Kill your own brother, if it came to that?" she asked.

Annie took a step back when Eren looked at her again, there was something different in his eyes, it was like staring at ice-cold rage that was bursting to break free but why would he have such a reaction to someone he barely knew? Even if they were brothers, they had never met until that fight, from what she knew anyway.

"As far as I know, the only family I have is here, in Paradis. If he gets in my way, I won't hesitate to end his life," said Eren. "Now come on, that's enough chatting."

She didn't resist when Eren started dragging her away. She knew Eren would do exactly what he said he would do if Zeke ever got in his way and she had a feeling, that was exactly what was going to happen.

As they walked through the entrance of the Survey Corp's headquarters, they were met by Levi, who was waiting for them.

"Eren, go get my squad and come to Erwin's office. We're going over the initial plan to retake Wall Maria. Now go," said Levi.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

At the training ground, the sound of ODM gear could be heard as Mikasa flew around dummy Titans, slicing their napes again and again.

With a huge burst of speed, Mikasa spun as fast as she could and shot towards a dummy, slicing its nape. She landed with a soft thud and sighed in frustration. _'Not fast enough,'_ she was trying to recreate Captain Levi's signature move but no matter how hard she tried, it seemed like she just couldn't match his speed.

"Mikasa! That was great! You nearly have it!" complimented Armin, jogging towards her.

"Still not good enough," replied Mikasa.

Armin smiled. "You'll get it soon enough," he reassured.

Mikasa nodded, she appreciated his words, but she needed to be better, much better.

"H-hey guys… isn't that…?" stuttered Connie, pointing towards the training ground's entry gate.

Everyone turned to look just as Annie and Eren entered the training grounds.

Jean froze and just watched her walk closer. Then, just when she was about a few meters away, something within him snapped as he thought back to Marco's dead body a few months ago. Blinded by fury, he ran towards Annie and shoved her roughly to the ground.

Annie stayed silent as she looked back at Jean, his furious expression told her everything. This was about Marco, the one she left to die while she took his ODM gear. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it happened only a few months ago. Marco's life was one of the many innocent lives she took as a warrior, and she intended to suffer the consequences for every single one.

"Oi! What were you thinking when you killed Marco! Annie! Tell me!" shouted Jean, while he stood over Annie.

Frustrated, he grabbed her by the collar of her clothes and roughly pulled her partly off the ground.

"Tell me dammit!"

Annie struggled to speak, her heart hammered against her chest as she tried to find the right words to say but one look of Jean's face made her realise that, no matter what she said, she could never lessen the pain he feels, so she said the only thing she could say.

"I-I'm sorry," her voice was barely above a whisper.

Jean froze, his hand still tightly gripping her clothes as tears leaked from his eyes. Seeing Annie broke something inside of him, the dam that held in all his pain cracked and crumbled.

"S-sorry…?" he repeated, disbelief clear in his voice. "Sorry? That is all you have to say…?"

Jean let out a shaky breath. He clenched his fist and, in his rage, threw a punch at Annie, her restrained state prevented her from protecting herself, but she had already decided that she would face the consequences of her actions and that was exactly what she would do right now.

Annie's head snapped back as the first punch landed, her head bounced off the ground with a thud. She closed her eyes and waited for the incoming barrage, but they never came. She slowly opened her eyes again, to see Jean's arm held in place by Eren, his face was stoic while Jean continued to struggle, tears still leaking from his eyes as he stared at her with hateful eyes.

"Let go, Eren! She deserves this! Let my fucking arm go!" Jean shouted as he struggled to rip his arm from Eren's grasp.

"Jean," said Eren. "Don't give in to your rage, you need to let it go."

"That's funny coming from you!" shouted Jean. "Let me give her what she deserves!"

Jean's eyes widened when Eren suddenly grabbed him and threw him to the ground while using his body weight to keep him there. He struggled against him, grabbing and pushing as he tried to get Eren off.

"Calm the fuck down!" shouted Eren, his grip was strong as he pushed Jean further into the ground. "There is no point to this! Whatever you feel right now, use it to fight! Avenge Marco's death by taking back everything the Titan's took from us!" he loosened his grip. "You're better than this Jean… Don't be like me…"

Jean's eyes widened and his body stopped struggling as he listened. _'He's right…' _he looked away from Eren. "Let me up," he muttered.

Eren got up and stuck his hand out. Jean grasped it and Eren pulled him up.

"Commander Erwin wants us in his office, make your way there," said Eren.

Jean nodded, now silent, and started to walk away but was stopped when Eren grasped his arm again.

"We _will_ succeed Jean."

There was a moment of silence as Jean looked back at Eren. Then, Eren loosened his grip, and Jean looked at him for a moment longer before turning away.

"Come on, guys," muttered Jean. Connie and Sasha followed him as he walked away; towards Commander Erwin's office.

Eren looked down at Annie, his face expressed no emotions as he eyed her bloodied face. "Get up."

"Eren!"

Eren turned at the voice, and he brightened up noticeably when he saw Armin and Mikasa jogging towards him.

Eren smiled. "Hey guys," greeted Eren.

"Eren," said Mikasa, her eyes trained on Annie. Mistrust clear on her eyes as she stared at her.

Eren stepped forward, grabbed her hand and held them gently in his grasp. "Mikasa," he softly said. "How have you been these last few days?" he had been busy with the trial and had no time to spend with Armin or Mikasa, which was something he longed to do.

Mikasa's eyes flicked to Eren as soon as she felt his hands on hers, any thought of Annie disappeared from her head in that instant.

Mikasa's cheeks became flushed at the gesture, she was still not used to the way Eren was treating her, but it felt so good to have Eren look at her with such _care_. "I-I've been fine," she replied softly. "How about you?"

Armin's eyes flicked between his two friends; something was different between them. His eyes slowly widened as realisation dawned on him. _'Wait, could Eren have feelings for Mikasa?' _Armin already knew Mikasa had feelings for Eren, it was so obvious, the only person who couldn't see it was Eren himself, but he had gotten no signs that Eren ever felt the same.

Armin observed Eren, noticing how gentle he held her hands and his eyes, he had never seen him look at anyone like _that_. Armin smiled to himself as he watched them interact; maybe this could bring the happiness that had been missing in both his friend's lives.

"Not that good to be honest," replied Eren, a teasing smile played on his lips.

Mikasa's eyes widened in worry. "What? Why?" she glared at Annie. "Did you do something?" she growled out.

Annie took a step back in surprise, her eyes flicked towards Eren when she heard his chuckle slice through the silent air.

"Mikasa…" he softly said. "It's because I missed you."

Mikasa's eyes widened as she blushed, not expecting that answer. "O-oh… I-I missed you too," she replied.

Armin smiled in amusement as he watched Mikasa turn red. _'Imagine telling someone a few months ago that the calm, strong Mikasa could be sent into a frenzy of blushes. If anyone could do it, it would be Eren.'_

Eren took a step back. "Alright, come on, Commander Erwin is waiting for us."

Mikasa and Armin nodded before following Eren, with Annie closely behind. It was time to take the first step toward retaking Wall Maria.


	6. Preparations

**A/N Hey guys, I am so sorry that I have not been updating for the past few months, but I will finish this story, so don't worry about that! I've just been very busy with work and honestly, just hadn't had the motivation or time to sit down properly and write but here it is finally!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Preparations**

Commander Erwin leaned back on his chair while he observed the room, Hange and Levi was sitting opposite him with their respective squads standing behind them.

"Before we begin," said Erwin. "There is something that must be addressed which will impact our plan to retake Wall Maria significantly."

Looks of confusion marked the faces of those in the room. The truth that was revealed during the trial was still very recent, as a result it has not reached the public yet.

Erwin looked around the room, making sure everyone's attention was on him. "Now, as you all know, Eren was successful in his task to retrieve Annie Leonhart, who is here today with us in this room," many spared Annie a glance, some were hateful, but most were wary of her presence. "As a part of the agreement struck between the court and Annie, she had agreed to reveal information regarding our world. In other words; the truth behind the Titans."

Armin's eyes widened; this was big. Whatever she was about to say, Armin knew it would change everything. He glanced towards Eren, whose face expressed no emotions, which was a surprise. Armin expected Eren to be the most expressive in this circumstance, unless he already knew what she was about to say.

"You may question how genuine her words are, but I can assure you what you're about to hear will be the truth. Why?" he nodded towards Eren. "Eren had already revealed this information to me a few days prior. Annie is further proof to back up what he said to me," explained Erwin.

Armin looked towards Eren again, that explains his reaction or lack of reaction in this case. But why had he not told him and Mikasa? How much does he know?

_'How much is he hiding?'_ thought Armin.

Erwin looked over at Annie. "Annie," he nodded at her, giving her the signal to start talking.

Annie took a deep breath, trying to ignore all the eyes that were on her. She didn't have to look to see how she was perceived by most people in the room; she was untrusted, hated even.

She took one more shaky breath. "E-everything you've learned about humanity is wrong," she started saying. "Humanity has not perished; it was never close to such thing. Humanity thrived outside these walls," she looked around. Shocked faces now looked back at her. "I come from a place called Marley, a nation located outside these walls."

She paused as the faces around the room turned to expressions of shock, silence filled the room as people digested what she had said.

"Now tell us where the Titans come from," instructed Erwin.

She nodded, she then went on to explain who the Subjects of Ymir were and how they came to live on this Island while other Subjects of Ymir lived outside these walls and how Marley, along with the world, hates them and is the source of where all the pure Titans come from and why they do it.

Armin's hands trembled as he listened to Annie. Whatever truth he expected, it wasn't this. Humans outside the walls? Other humans were responsible for this hell they live in?

"So, you're… telling me all this time, I've just been killing other humans?" voiced Levi.

Annie nodded, hands trembling. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for all the suffering I have caused! I can never be forgiven, I should… I should just-"

She dropped to her knees; her eyes focused on the ground as the weight of her guilt hit her. She froze when she felt someone else's hands on her trembling ones.

Sympathy washed over Eren while he watched her slowly crumble from her own guilt. He walked over to her silently, crouched down, and placed a hand on hers, his eyes were soft and understanding. He understood more than anyone what she was going through; he had done the same act in his reality; he had killed innocents.

Looking up, her eyes widened when she was faced with familiar eyes. _'Eren…'_

"I understand," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. "I would have done the same."

Armin stood frozen, his trembling hands slowly settling while he watched Eren comfort Annie. He understood why Annie did what she did, who wouldn't? What were the people inside these walls compared to the world? But there was one problem, one major problem.

_'I am one of the Eldians inside the walls. I am… a Subject of Ymir.'_

He was sure Eren was ready to do what needs to be done; to fight against the world. _'Am I ready?'_ Armin looked down at his hands, now calm and steady. _'Will these hands be stained with the blood of more humans?'_ he had already taken a life to save Jean. How many human lives will he have to take to protect the people he loves? Armin hated this, all he wanted was to explore the world with Eren and Mikasa. Why can't they just live without the need to fight?

He looked back up, his eyes trailed over Mikasa and then to Eren and Annie. He balled his hands into fists. _'We can do this without bloodshed.' _Armin slowly walked towards Eren. _'We must find a way to find a better future without this bloodshed. I believe in peace; I believe we can find this peace without meaningless deaths… ' _He knelt beside them. _'This is what I have to believe... I do not want any more innocents to suffer, there has to be another way…'_

"Annie…" Armin started saying. "What you did was unforgivable… many lives were ruined and that can never be forgiven or forgotten."

Annie shoulders slumped slightly while she listened to his words.

"But… You can fight for a better future. You can never return the lives you have ruined but you can fight to ensure that it never happens again," said Armin.

Her back straightened while she nodded as she digested his words. She took a deep breath and stood up, Eren and Armin doing the same. "You're right," she looked at him, a hint of a smile playing at her lips. "Thank you, Armin."

Erwin stood up, gaining the attention of all those in the room. "Thank you, Annie." He looked at those around the room. "I'm sure this is a shock to all of you but despite this information, our current mission remains the same; We must retake Wall Maria."

Erwin pulled out a map of Wall Maria and rolled it out on his desk. He placed both hands on the table, his head now scanning the faces of those with him. "Today, we start our walk down a long and dangerous path, but we must fight! For the people that are dear to us! For the innocents who live behind these walls! We are not devils! We are human! And every human has the right to live! Because-"

"We were born into this world…"

The voice was soft, yet powerful. The words reached every ear in the room, igniting a range of powerful emotions in the hearts of everyone while they stood in silence but none as powerful as the person behind the voice; Eren Yeager.

Erwin had his eyes on Eren, who stood directly opposite him on the other side of the desk. He smirked.

_'Because we were born into this world.'_

* * *

Reiner leaned over the railing as he silently processed the events that had transpired mere days ago. The sound of the ship was drowned out by the gentle waves of the sea. He stared down at the water, his eyes catching glimpses of his own reflection during the brief moments which the sea remained calm.

_'How could this happen?'_ he leaned his head back, his eyes closed as his skin was kissed by the warmth of the sun, calming him.

_'We have failed… I have failed… I have failed Annie… Bertolt… my family will surely suffer now for my failures,' _he looked down and observed the roughness of his hands, a reminder of his time on Paradis.

His hands started shaking, tears formed around his eyes. His breathing became erratic as he stumbled backwards, panic and fear clouded his mind as he thought about his family. _'What will Marley do to them?'_

He sat down on the deck of the ship, his shaking hands now on his head. _'In… and out… In… and out…'_ he repeated, trying to calm his breathing.

"Get up."

Reiner recognised the voice immediately; it belonged to the War-Chief.

"I said… Get up!"

Reiner didn't struggle as he was roughly pulled up. His eyes remained downcast, his will to live slowly slipping away. His resolve was broken as he imagined the kind of punishment, he had just sentenced his family to. What was the point anymore?

"Look at me!"

Not getting a response, Zeke growled in frustration.

_'Pathetic.'_

Zeke gritted his teeth as his hold on Reiner tightened, his knuckles turned white as his heart pounded violently against his chest, anger rising as he watched Reiner drown himself in his own sorrow.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The irritation and anger built up inside him drained away as he exhaled, his hold on Reiner slackened as the last bit of air escaped him.

"Reiner," he said, his voice free from the viciousness it had just moments ago. "I have no doubt you have a lot on your mind, but this is no time to wallow in our failures, we have work to do."

When Reiner finally looked at Zeke, he was momentarily taken back by the fire in his eyes. Such passion can only belong to man who has figured out his purpose in life. Envy grabbed Reiner's heart as he longed for that kind of feeling, the feeling of belonging in this world. How can the War-Chief still push on after what happened? Does he not realise what this failure means?

"What's the point…" muttered Reiner. "We failed… I failed… my life is over; Marley will have my head and my family will suffer because of my incompetence."

"So what? You're going to drown in your own self-pity and just let it happen?" Zeke scoffed. "Give me a break."

Reiner stood lifelessly as he absorbed Zeke's words, he couldn't feel a thing. Maybe this was his punishment for trying to be someone he wasn't. How could he think he could ever be a hero?

"Are you not a Warrior?" asked Zeke, his voice took on a commanding tone.

"Did you not inherit the Armoured Titan? Are you so weak minded that you are giving up after one set back? Is that it?" Zeke's voice continued to rise; each word came out louder than the last.

Reiner continued to fall deeper and deeper in his sea of despair as Zeke's words repeatedly hit him but what he said next completely froze him.

"Do you not love your family?"

Reiner's head snapped up, his eyes wide, droplets of tears visible at the corners of his eyes as he stared at Zeke in a mixture of shock and anger. How could he ask such a stupid question?

"Of course, I love my family!" he shouted in reply.

"Then why are you giving up? Will you not fight for their sake?" challenged Zeke.

Reiner stumbled backwards. Was that what he was doing? _'How could I think like that? What's wrong with me? I must fight for them…'_

Finally finding his resolve, he stood up straight and looked straight at Zeke, his eyes unwavering. "You're right. I must fight for their sake; I must not give up," he said, as if he was reminding himself.

"Good," said Zeke, satisfied that his subordinate had found his resolve at least.

"War-Chief?" asked Reiner, sounding stronger but the hint of hesitancy still lingered in his voice.

"Yes?"

"What will we do?" he asked, unsure how they would turn this situation around.

"Come," said Zeke. "I have something to show you."

Reiner followed when Zeke started to move, staying just a few meters behind him as they walked. His eyes observed the view in front of him, he could see land at the horizon; they were close to Marley now. Only a few more hours left until they reach their homeland.

Shortly, they arrived at Zeke's room. Reiner was surprised at how simple it looked. It was relatively small, a bed sat at one corner of the room, only big enough for one person. A medium-sized rectangular table sat to the side of the bed; a large piece of paper laid on top of it; it looked like a map of sorts. He had always imagined it would be more… extravagant due to his status of being the War-Chief of the Warrior's unit.

_'I guess Marley wouldn't treat any of us that nicely, not even the War-Chief,'_ Reiner thought.

Zeke beckoned Reiner over. "This map shows Wall Maria and its surrounding area, it's only a quick sketch, but it will do for now," he explained. "The Survey Corps will attempt to retake Wall Maria, but that won't be for at least a few months, which means we have time to plan."

Reiner eyed the map, reading the annotations that Zeke had already made.

"Looks like you already have something in mind."

"Of course, it is still a rough draft but if my proposal is accepted by Commander Magath, we will have a considerable advantage in this inevitable fight for Wall Maria," said Zeke.

"Proposal?" asked Reiner.

"This plan will require a considerable force and weaponry but with the long-lost Attack Titan up for grabs and if I'm right… the Founding Titan will also be present, along with the Colossal that we lost. With this in mind; I have no doubts they will accept." Zeke paused for a moment. "If all goes according to plan, the next time we arrive on Paradis, we will be accompanied by a large force, around three hundred strong. We won't attack solely on land… no… we will also attack from the air using blimps, this will surely overwhelm the Survey Corps, who have no experience in fighting human warfare."

Zeke pointed at the walls, motioning towards the circles he had drawn at various points of the wall. "We will place a platoon of soldiers inside certain points of the wall, this will surround the Survey Corps the moment they arrive. We will have them surrounded before they even see us," he then motioned to the buildings that make up the Shiganshina district. "Soldiers will be scattered around these houses, providing close quarter threat to the Survey Corps. The blimps will stay back, with me and Pieck. While, Porco will be in the walls."

"Porco? You mean… Porco will inherit the Jaw Titan from Ymir?"

Zeke nodded. "Yes, I plan to feed her to Porco, will that be a problem?"

"N-no… it was expected," replied Reiner, though he couldn't stop the guilt that lingered within him. He made a note to speak to Ymir after, it's the least he could do.

"What about me?" Reiner asked after a moment of silence.

"You'll be accompanying one of the squads that will hide within the buildings that make up the town," Zeke looked at Reiner with an expectant look. "Your success will be critical to the outcome of this operation. Your job is to keep Eren busy and subdue him if possible. With him out of the picture, we will dispose of the Survey Corps quickly and not even he can fight all of us alone. Can you do it?"

Reiner clenched his fist as he was reminded of Bertolt's fate, the small fire that burned within him grew a little stronger. "Yes," he declared strongly.

Zeke nodded in approval. "Good. I haven't told you this yet, but I believe Eren also holds the Founding Titan."

Reiner's eyes widened in fear, his hands slamming on the table as he shouted, "What! How can you be sure?!"

Zeke had a thoughtful look as he replied, "I'm not… but just be prepared for that possibility. Even if it turned out not to be true, Eren still poses the single biggest threat to us with the power of the Attack Titan and Colossal Titan in his hands. We don't know what abilities he had gained, there has never been a reported case of someone holding more than one power…"

_'This is bad! Eren is the worst person imaginable to hold the Coordinates power…'_ thought Reiner.

"I will try to be careful," replied Reiner, though something still bothered him. "But…why would Marley give us another chance? We failed, surely we will be punished as soon as we return?" Reiner reasoned.

"Leave that to me, I will speak to Commander Magath," Zeke said in reply. "He is one of the few who will listen to us."

"Okay," Reiner still felt a bit uneasy, but he had nothing else to lose, so he nodded, putting his trust in his War-Chief.

"I think that is all, go get some rest, the next few weeks will be hectic," Zeke ordered.

Realising he was being dismissed, he made his way towards the door but paused when a sudden thought came to him. "War-Chief… you say that Eren poses the single biggest threat to us but there are two who we cannot underestimate. They are Captain Levi and Mikasa Ackerman," his face took on a thoughtful expression as he remembered them. "Captain Levi is their strongest soldier and I cannot help but agree with them, while Mikasa Ackerman could very well be taking that position in the future. We had already fought them, back in Trost."

Zeke's eyes widened a fraction. _'So that's who they were? Ackerman huh? That does pose a problem. I wonder if this Levi guy is one too… The only people that can top a Ackerman in combat can only be another Ackerman, I guess I will find out,'_

"I'll keep that in mind," replied Zeke.

Satisfied, Reiner turned and left. His next destination; Ymir.

Just what would he tell her? Ymir had reluctantly agreed to help them, _'Before Bertolt…'_ he shook his head from those thoughts, no use dwelling on that now.

_'I will avenge him soon enough… and Annie too, there can only be one reason why she had not contacted us; she's been caught and probably being tortured right at this moment, or already dead…'_

Reiner took a deep breath as he stood in front of Ymir's door. He honestly did not know what to say or how to tell someone that they're about to die, who does? But it was the least he could do for her… After all, they did spend years together training. After one more inhale, he raised his hand and knocked.

"Ymir?"

He took a step back when he heard the doorknob twist and unlock, revealing a tired looking Ymir.

Ymir rolled her eyes and huffed in frustration when she realised who it was. "What is it?" asked Ymir, annoyed at his very presence.

"W-well… I…" started Reiner, not knowing how to put it into words.

"Just spit it out already!" she said, exasperated.

"Okay, uh…" he started. "It's just… well… the plan that the War-Chief has for you… well to put it simply, y-you're going to be fed to one of our Warrior candidates – Porco Galliard, a-and I thought you deserve to know your fate at least…" he trailed off, his eyes scanning her face for a reaction.

Ymir chuckled. "How _thoughtful_ of you to let little _poor me_ know," she spat out. "Do you think you're doing something nice by telling me? That you're doing the right thing?"

Reiner opened his mouth to respond. "Well-"

"How pathetic," she carried on, cutting off his response. "Just leave me alone… I already made peace with my fate. I knew there wasn't any other option the moment I agreed to help you, just don't forget the promise you made to me and deliver the message to Historia once I've written it, you'll have it soon enough."

"I'll deliver the message, I promise you that," replied Reiner.

"Not like your promises hold that much weight in my mind but you better, otherwise I'll haunt you for the rest of your life. Now go… leave me alone," she said as she stepped back further into the room, closing the door at the same time.

Reiner remained silent and unmoving as the door was shut in front of his face. He went to say something else, something to reassure her that he will keep his promise, but he closed them when he realised that what she said was true; his words mean nothing to her, not after everything he has done.

He turned on the spot and left to get some rest, the next few weeks will be hectic.

* * *

Mikasa sat down on the ground, next to Armin, sweat dripping from her forehead due to training. The Survey Corps had been intensively training to get used to the use of the Thunder Spears in battle, which Hange had developed to combat the Armoured Titan. It was a great piece of innovation and Mikasa had no doubt that it will prove useful in the battle against the Armoured Titan.

Thinking over the last few weeks, it has been unbelievable to see Eren's impact on every discussion that was held regarding the retake of Wall Maria. It wasn't that she thought Eren was not capable of doing so, she would never underestimate Eren, but his strategic thinking was beginning to rival that of Commander Erwin.

_'I guess having some of Dr. Yeager's memory does give him a new perspective…'_ she idly thought.

Eren's dad was a Titan shifter all this time, and he was from the outside world... a world that hated the people inside these walls. Why couldn't everyone just co-exist in peace? She couldn't understand why the world hated them. Sure, maybe their ancestors had done some terrible things but surely, they, the people that are alive now, can't be blamed for something that happened thousands of years ago right? Yet, they are…

_'The world is cruel,'_ she thought sadly, now aware of the extent of cruelty that existed in this world.

"It is also very beautiful…" she softly whispered, imagining a smiling Eren, who had been smiling a lot recently, a very welcome surprise in her eyes.

Eren was another subject that threw her all over the place. It has been a roller coaster, to go from nearly losing Eren and then him waking up, saving Trost, and then pulling _her_ into bed with him. They had spent a night _together_.

Mikasa blushed and hid her mouth behind her scarf, thinking back to that night. Okay, nothing else had happened but she couldn't remember the last time Eren was _that_ affectionate, especially towards her, since they were kids. Furthermore, they weren't kids anymore, so sleeping in same bed as Eren now… it made her feel something that she had always tried to avoid or ignore. Yet, it made her so incredibly happy to feel Eren hold her in such an affectionate way and she couldn't help but want more of it.

_'It was the warmest I've ever felt in my life…'_ her hand reached up to her scarf and she clutched it tightly, she wished she could feel as warm as she felt, that night, every day.

"Mikasa?"

She gasped in shock; she had completely forgot that Armin was right next to her.

"Huh?" was all that came out when Mikasa tried to reply.

"Why is your face red?" asked Armin, a teasing smile forming on his face.

"Huh?" she reached up and lightly touched her cheeks, what was he talking about?

Armin's teasing smile grew wider. "Thinking about Eren again, are we?"

Mikasa's eyes widened, finally realising what he was implying. "What?! N-no, I was not!" she exclaimed.

Armin chuckled lightly, which turned into full-blown laughter when Mikasa's face turned even redder, something that he thought wasn't possible. His laughing abruptly stopped when he saw the glare that Mikasa was giving him, maybe it was best not to push it.

Armin put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'll stop," he said, a few chuckles escaping him as he spoke.

For the next few moments, they settled into a comfortable silence as they watched Eren spar Annie. The two had been regularly sparring, to Mikasa's dismay, since they were both shifters, so it made sense for them to train together.

"Hey, have you noticed how improved Eren seems to be?" asked Armin, turning his head towards Mikasa. "It wasn't like he was bad to begin with; he did finish just below you in hand-to-hand combat… it just seems like he reached a whole new level without us noticing. He's dispatching Annie like it's nothing. I think I've seen Annie drop Eren only once, this wasn't the case during cadet training… which was not even that long ago."

Mikasa looked at the pair, noticing how Eren perfectly countered any attack Annie threw at him, it was almost like he had years of battle experience, allowing him to counter every single move that Annie executed and adapt throughout the fight to gain every little advantage that he can, yet they only graduated cadet training less than six months ago.

"I'm sure it's nothing, it's good that he has improved," Armin said, trying to convince himself that there were no outside factors to Eren's drastic improvement. Yet, he couldn't help but be suspicious that something else is causing this.

_'It doesn't hurt to observe for a little longer,' _thought Armin.

Armin looked at Mikasa again, it had not gone unnoticed that she had looked a lot happier recently and one reason was because Eren had been a lot more affectionate with her. The affection was something Mikasa appreciated and returned eagerly. Armin had no doubts about that. Armin couldn't help but wonder if Eren started to feel the same way that Mikasa felt about him. It takes a blind person to not see the love that Mikasa held for Eren, but if that was the case, then Eren had to be the blindest person alive.

_'I wonder if Mikasa even knows what she's feeling? She's not exactly the most adept with feelings or emotions,'_ thought Armin. He wouldn't say that he was the best with feelings or anything but he was better than his two best friends at least.

"Hey Mikasa?" Armin said, grabbing her attention.

Mikasa looked over, confused. "Yes?"

"Normally, I wouldn't worry about these things… but I've seen the way you look at Eren over the years and with the retake of Wall Maria looming over us, I can't help but wonder… do you…" Armin trailed off, nodding his head in Eren's direction, hoping that Mikasa would understand what he was trying to say.

Mikasa looked towards Eren, then back to Armin, even more confused. "Huh? Do I what?"

Armin nodded over again, now moving his eyebrows in a suggestive manner at the same time.

Mikasa looked over at Eren again, then back at Armin, her confused expression firmly in place. "Armin, you're going to have to say it." she demanded, utterly confused at what he was doing.

Armin sighed, why did he expect her to understand _signals_. "Do you… love him?"

Mikasa's eyes widened comically, a huge blush now on her face. "Huh?"

"Well? Do you love him?" Armin asked again.

Mikasa stuttered. "Huh? Y-yeah of course, h-he's my famil-"

Armin sighed at the typical Mikasa response. "Mikasa, I mean… do you love him… romantically?"

Mikasa shrunk behind her scarf, half her face now covered by the red material. She muttered something, but her voice was muffled.

Armin chuckled and reached over to uncover her face. "Do you or do you not love him?" he asked, his eyes were kind and his voice soft.

Mikasa shifted her eyes to the side, unable to look at Armin. "I don't know…" she whispered.

"Mikasa…" Armin said, urging her to admit it.

"I don't know…" she repeated, her eyes still refusing to meet Armin's.

Armin sighed. Desperate situations require desperate measures. "Do you want to kiss him?"

That did the trick as Mikasa went red as a tomato as she finally looked at Armin, wide eyed. "Huh?"

"You know… do you want to grab Eren and take him somewhere quiet and kiss-" Armin yelped when his face was suddenly covered by a hand. He looked through the cracks between the fingers to see a beet red Mikasa looking at him.

Mikasa stayed silent as Armin gently removed her hand from his face. His expression lost its teasing nature, replaced with one of understanding.

"Mikasa… I can guess the answer from your reactions," Armin started saying. "And I understand how hard it must be to confess something as big as this, even though I had never done it. But we're going to go through the biggest challenge of our lives soon and we can't be sure that we will all make it back… I just don't want you to live your life with regret, so please don't ignore it while you still have a chance…"

Mikasa remained silent as she listened, her heart feeling some type of pang as she thought about returning from Wall Maria without Eren by her side.

Her voice was small, but Armin still heard it. "Okay…" she whispered.

Armin smiled. He returned to observing the spar, when suddenly a mischievous twinkle appeared in his eyes. Something that Mikasa had caught from the corner of her vision, a deep sinking feeling settled in her stomach at the sight.

"Hey Eren! Did you know Mikasa wants to kis-"

When Eren looked over, he was confused when he saw Mikasa pinning a struggling Armin on the ground, her hand covering Armin's mouth as he struggled for breath, tears leaking from his eyes as he flailed his arms in panic.

He shook his head, smiling inwardly at the silly antics of his best friends as he took his fighting stance, for what seems to be the thousandth time today.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Reiner had landed back on Marley. Everything that Zeke had planned had come to pass, Commander Magath had indeed backed Zeke's plan and now they were mere days away from leaving for Paradis again.

So why were they being called into another meeting?

"War-Chief, do you know what this is about?" asked Reiner.

Zeke shook his head. "No idea, it must be important if it was so urgent, so we will see."

It was a few minutes later when the door to their room was opened, revealing Commander Magath, accompanying him was a man of average height, though he looked well-groomed, wearing expensive clothing; a dark suit with a black tie.

"Gentlemen, I'm here to introduce Willy Tybur, a noble that greatly influences Marley and he has something to talk to you about," said Magath.

Willy Tybur stepped forward. "Hello, I have heard you will be embarking on another mission to retake the Founding Titan, Attack Titan, and Colossal Titan, meaning if successful… it would be the first time Marley has control of all nine Titans," he said.

Zeke bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, sir. We will not fail Marley again."

"I hope so, it is why I am here to lend you my help," he started saying. "Please, take my younger sister with you."

"Huh? Why do you want us to do that?" asked Zeke, confused.

"Because Paradis Island needs to fall and how else can we increase our chances of success other than adding… the War Hammer Titan!"

Reiner nearly stumbled backwards. _'The War Hammer Titan...'_ hope bloomed in his chest, there was no way Eren will be able to overcome this, victory was surely theirs.

* * *

It had been a few months since the planning of the Wall Maria retake took place, the day of the operation has arrived. It had not been easy; the Survey Corps boasted its numbers to around two hundred. While strategic, and intensive training took place to integrate the use of the Thunder Spears in battle and to implement the plan they had made, a plan that Eren had a huge part in with his extensive knowledge. They were as prepared as they could be.

Eren sat on his horse, waiting for Erwin's command. This was the day where everything will change, Eren was sure of it.

He looked at those around him; his friends surrounded him; Jean, Sasha, Connie, Armin, and Mikasa.

When he looked at Armin, his best friend gave him a reassuring smile, letting him know that he believed in the plan they had in place.

When he looked at Mikasa, she gave him the same look she had given him for the past few months, like she wanted to say something, but she couldn't. He gave her a reassuring smile, which she returned but he could tell something was bothering her but there was no time for that now, this will be the major changing point between his own reality and this one, he was sure of it.

Eren looked ahead as Erwin gave his command and the horses of the Survey Corps started moving, the sound of hooves battering the dirt-covered ground filled his ears. Though, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the fear that gripped his heart as he bounced to the rhythm of his horse's galloping.

_'Every change has a consequence, so what are the consequences of mine?'_

* * *

**A/N Don't forget to review!**


	7. The Battle for Wall Maria

**A/N Here's the next chapter and with everything happening right now, please stay safe everyone!**

**Regarding this chapter, I honestly had quite a bit of trouble trying to write this. Especially the fight. I'm not sure if I'm 100% happy with it, but I don't think I will ever be without spending years on it!**

**But I'm satisfied with how it went. It's not a super well-written masterpiece by any means, but I hope you enjoy!**

**Also, did you know Zeke is able to throw objects at supersonic speeds according to the wikia? Madness.**

**Edit 28/03/2020 - Added an extra piece of dialogue.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Battle for Wall Maria**

Night fell as the Survey Corps continued their journey towards Shiganshina. Despite being nearly two hundred strong, the only sound you could hear were footsteps and the hooves of the horses. The air was tense. No one knew who will be alive once the next cycle of light ends. It affected everyone, including Eren.

Despite his experience and all the training he had done to prepare for this, he could not shake the feeling of absolute dread that crept along his skin in the cold night. His eyes were open, but they were not really seeing. He observed his surroundings, but his brain processed nothing that he had seen. What will happen? Will this time be better than before? Will it be worse? What was Zeke planning? What could have changed? All these questions plagued his mind as the time ticked by.

Eren took a shaky breath, trying to clear his mind. _'What's wrong with me? Get a hold of yourself dammit!'_ he looked towards his friends, who walked slightly ahead of him; alive and well. He gripped the leash on his horse tight, his knuckles turning white. _'I won't let anything happen to them. I can't let anything happen to them, not again…'_

"Are you okay?"

Startled, Eren jumped slightly as his head whipped towards the intruding voice but calmed down when he recognised who it was.

"Oh, Marlowe…" replied Eren. "I'm fine, thanks."

Marlowe looked at Eren in confusion. "How did you know who I was? I don't think we've met," he replied.

_'Ah, right… I wasn't there for the feast.'_

Eren smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head as he replied. "I just overheard Jean talking about someone with your hair," he gestured to the bowl cut. "While muttering Marlowe."

Marlowe nodded in acceptance, wincing slightly as he remembered that incident. "Ah… Yeah, I did have a bit of an argument with him back at the feast," he took a closer look at Eren, his eyes widening in recognition. "You're Eren Yeager right?"

"The one and only," joked Eren, bowing.

"You're incredible, you know," stated Marlowe, his face taking a faraway look. "You're here making such a difference to this world, only months after graduating."

Stunned by the compliment, Eren was at a loss for words.

"That's what I wanted to do, that's why I joined the Military Police in the first place; to make a difference but then… I realised I was not that person, I was never meant to be that person who made the difference, I wasn't like you," he admitted.

Eren shook his head. "That's not true," he started. "You're making a difference now, the fact that you're here now is proof of that. The fact that you're here, putting your life on the line without any abilities, unlike me, makes you braver. Every single one of you here is important and most importantly, every single one of you here is making a difference," he looked at Marlowe. "And never _ever_ underestimate that."

"Thank you," he replied, a bit choked up after listening to Eren.

Eren shrugged. "I'm only telling you the truth," he answered honestly.

Marlowe looked ahead for a moment, noticing that Eren's squad seem to be waiting for him, he turned to Eren. "Your friends seem to want to talk to you, so I'll drop back but good luck tomorrow. I hope to see you on the other side," he gave Eren a pat on the back, Eren returned the action, before falling back.

Eren continued to walk until he caught up with his group.

"What was that?" asked Jean.

"Just having a little chat with a comrade," replied Eren.

"He looked pretty happy after that talk," Jean commented, turning his head around to glance at Marlowe before turning back.

Armin chuckled. "Must be that powerful speech skill that Eren seems to have."

"Yeah, he's as good with Speeches as Sasha is at eating all the food," added Connie, laughing.

"Oi!" protested Sasha. "Well… I do love my food…"

"And we wouldn't have it any other way," said Jean.

Eren's eyes lit up at the light-hearted conversation between his friends, a smile tugged at his lips while he watched and listened. _'This is what I'm fighting for.'_

Mikasa stayed silent while everyone else talked, deep in thought. Her eyes were open, yet they were blind. Her legs were moving, yet she couldn't feel them. Her hand held tightly around the leash of her horse, yet she felt no strength. Her mind raced, the haunting thoughts causing her heart to drop.

Eren noticed her silence and silently shifted closer to her until they were nearly touching shoulder to shoulder.

"Mikasa?"

It was like she was waking up when her eyes finally regained their light and she was able to see. She didn't even notice Eren right beside her, too lost in her own thoughts.

Mikasa turned to look at Eren. "Eren…" she replied, a little startled from the sudden intrusion.

"How are you feeling?" asked Eren, his brows scrunched up a little in concern.

Mikasa turned her eyes away from him. "I'm fine," she replied, her voice barely loud enough for him to hear.

He nudged her shoulder gently, making her look back at him. "Come on, you know you can tell me anything Mikasa."

"I'm just… I'm just scared," she admitted.

"Well, so am I," replied Eren.

Mikasa looked at him, surprised.

"What? Why do you look so surprised? Am I really that angry looking?"

Mikasa stared wide-eyed and opened her mouth for a moment but closed them shortly after, speechless.

Eren chuckled. "I'm just messing with you," he said.

He extended his free hand and grabbed hers, squeezing them gently as they walked side by side.

"Of course, I'm scared," he admitted. "I'm scared of losing Sasha, I'm scared of losing Connie, I'm scared of losing Jean, I'm scared of losing Armin and I'm scared of losing you," emotion crept into his voice as he continued, his memories of their demise at the forefront of his mind. "I think if I lost any of you, a piece of me will die too and that makes me scared… _terrified…_ but that fear is what keeps me going, it's what makes me train harder, hit harder, run faster."

He stopped and turned to look at Mikasa properly, her eyes still trained on him. "What I'm saying is; there's nothing wrong with being scared. It only makes us stronger."

Mikasa stared wide-eyed, speechless yet again. _'Eren's right, it's okay to be scared… That's why I should tell him…'_

"Eren?" she said, her voice a bit hesitant.

"Yes-" he started replying.

"Eren!"

Eren and Mikasa both turned to the voice, who turned out to be a teary-eyed Connie.

"Huh?" was all that came out of Eren's mouth.

Connie sniffled. "I never knew you cared so much about us- Ow!" he started rubbing his head. "What was that for Sasha?"

Sasha crossed her arms. "You're so stupid! They were having-" she looked at Eren and Mikasa before leaning close to Connie's ear and lowering her voice. "They were having a _moment._"

Connie looked at Eren and Mikasa in confusion. "A moment?" he whispered to himself. Eventually, realisation dawned on him and a grin spread across his face. "Ah! A _moooment_."

"What? I'm not getting it at all," said Jean.

Sasha patted him on the back, believing it would comfort him. "It's okay Jean, it's okay."

Jean looked even more confused now. "What?"

Armin shook his head in amusement, making his way past Jean and closer to Eren and Mikasa.

"Come on, let's keep moving," said Armin, now side by side with Eren and Mikasa.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Armin spoke. "You've changed Eren," he commented.

"I know," replied Eren, he already expected Armin to bring it up at some point. "And you're wondering what caused it? Aren't you?" he said, glancing at Armin.

Armin nodded.

Eren looked thoughtful, trying to gather his thoughts. "It's simple really… I finally opened my eyes," he said.

Armin looked at Eren in confusion. "Opened your eyes?" he asked, urging Eren to continue.

"Opened my eyes to what's important to me. I've always strove for freedom with complete disregard to everything else, but now…" he trailed off.

The memories of his past hurt. Eren never realised how deep he had buried his pain. He felt so happy seeing all his friends again, he just naturally stopped thinking about what happened in his own reality but that did not change the fact that they _happened_. They _died_ because of him and that can never be changed, and it _hurt_.

"Eren?" said Armin worriedly.

Broken out of his trance, Eren inhaled sharply. "S-sorry, I'm not sure what came over me."

Mikasa grabbed Eren's arm, bringing the trio to a stop. "Eren… you're crying," she said, worry evident in her voice.

Eren touched the skin under his eye and sure enough, his fingers were wet when he looked at them. Hastily, he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his uniform. He never meant to lose control like that, he didn't want to look weak in front of them.

"I…" started Eren.

_'Oh, fuck it!'_

Eren pulled them both into a crushing hug, inhaling deeply, trying to remember their scent, their feel.

Armin chuckled into Eren's shoulder. "Not that I'm complaining but what brought this on?"

"Just shut up, Armin," Eren growled.

"Okay, okay," Armin continued to chuckle but kept quiet.

Mikasa just gripped Eren tighter.

* * *

Erwin's heart pounded against his chest when he saw Shiganshina. The truth, his father's theory, everything he had wanted to know was so close and he will do anything to get there. He leaned forward, determined, and pushed his horse to go faster, his soldiers doing the same.

Once he was close to the destroyed entrance that leads into Shiganshina, he slowed down and shouted, "Soldiers! We _will_ retake Wall Maria, whatever it takes! Scale the walls! Keep your hoods up! Check for any weak points within the walls and do _not_ hesitate to eliminate any threats!" he hit his chest with his right fist. "Dedicate your hearts!"

Cries of battle rang out as the Survey Corps soldiers sped towards the wall and zipped over Wall Maria and into Shiganshina.

The plan was simple, half the soldiers will check, in pairs, for weak spots in the wall surrounding Shiganshina. The other half will stay on top of the wall, surrounding Shiganshina, supporting their comrades who are checking the walls, ready to rush in if needed.

The two openings in Shiganshina will be left as it is, this provided them extra options of escape if the need arises.

While the soldiers began checking the walls, a select few elite squads will head straight for the basement, with Erwin.

"Squad Levi and Squad Hange! With me!" commanded Erwin. "Squad Dirk, Squad Marlene, and Squad Klaus, keep watch of the situation above ground, fire the red smoke when the time is right, is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" came the voices of various squad leaders as they, along with their squad, jumped off their horse and zipped over the wall.

Erwin charged forward, towards the inner opening of Shiganshina. Squad Levi and Squad Hange following closely behind.

When they were close to the entrance, Erwin jumped off his horse and zipped through the opening and towards the closest building, the accompanying squads not far behind.

As silently as they could, they all landed and pressed their backs against the building.

Erwin raised his right hand up, drawing everyone's attention. "Remember, we go in and out of every building silently as possible. We follow Eren, Mikasa, and Armin. They know the way. Do not show yourself unless I say so, now let's go," said Erwin, keeping his voice quiet. He nodded towards the trio, giving the signal to start moving.

At Erwin's signal, Eren began moving. He kept his head low and his footsteps quiet as he made his way into the closest building, the others following closely behind. From building to building, they moved silently. Slipping in and out.

The further they moved, the more familiar each road and building looked. They were getting close. Eren raised his hand, bringing the group to a stop.

Quietly, he said, "We're close now. Commander, we go at your signal."

"Have your thunder spears ready," instructed Erwin. As he was about to give the signal to move out, he looked out of the window and saw red smoke fired up in the sky, followed by screams of soldiers, explosions of thunder spears, and the sound of rubble crashing against the ground.

Unknown to them, they were being watched.

* * *

Reiner crouched low as he spotted the heads of Survey Corps soldiers. Zeke was right, they would not expect Marleyan to take control of these buildings. He spotted the head of Eren Yeager, his hands clenched into fists. Then, a glimpse of smooth blonde touched the corner of his vision, his eyes widened when he recognised the signature hairstyle.

_'… Annie? What are you doing there?'_

His eyes hardened. _'Did you betray us? After all we have been through? This is what you do!? Don't you know what happened to Bertolt?!'_ his nose flared in anger. _'It doesn't matter now; you will pay for this betrayal…'_

He saw red smoke fired up in the sky, the screams of soldiers filled the air as the Marleyan soldiers who hid inside the walls were discovered. He looked out of the window and saw Porco furiously dispatching the Survey Corps soldiers as he used his Titan's hardened claws to crawl around the wall like a spider.

The attack has started. Reiner raised his hand and gave the signal to his own squad and just like that, they started moving towards Eren.

Reiner pulled out his knife and sliced across his palm. With blood dripping, his face hardened in determination as he took a step forward. Today, his fate will be decided.

* * *

Armin's heart rate spiked as the sound of glass breaking reached his ears. He whipped his head around and his eyes widened in shock. There was a squad of soldiers, wearing an unfamiliar uniform, and holding guns, running straight towards them. Then he saw the last soldier step out of the building and he couldn't stop when his hands grabbed Eren's arm in a death grip.

"Reiner…" said Armin, his voice quivered as he spoke. "Behind us! We're under attack!"

Eren turned around just as the windows shattered, a bullet whizzed past his head.

"Everybody down!" Eren shouted as he dropped to the ground. Others were not so lucky as cries of pain rang out around him before the thuds of bodies dropping to the ground reached his ringing ears. Guns, they were not prepared to counter _guns_. Just how many soldiers had Marley brought to this island?

_'Fuck.'_

"They've got guns! Keep your head down and ready your thunder spears!" Erwin shouted over the barrage of bullets. They needed a way out of the building and onto the roofs, getting trapped would be a death sentence.

Erwin looked at his own thunder spears and a thought crossed his mind. His eyes targeted the edges of the window, where the bullets had penetrated, and he aimed one of his thunder spears at it.

"Erwin, what are you doing?!" shouted Levi.

"Giving us time," he replied, before letting loose his spear, which stuck itself right underneath the window's edge before exploding, creating a smokescreen of debris, temporarily blinding the advancing Marleyan soldiers.

"Out! Get up on the roof!" commanded Erwin.

They busted out of the building in whatever way they could, some busted down the door, while others jumped right through the window.

Once they were on the roof, Armin saw a Titan dispatching survey soldiers on the walls. He urgently told Erwin, "Commander! On the walls, there's another Titan shifter! And Reiner is down there! The Armoured Titan! "

Upon this information, Erwin ordered Eren and Annie, "You two! Transform!" he turned to the others, about to give another command when the sound of gunshots rang through the air as another barrage hit them from a different direction.

"Commander! Another three enemy squads shooting from the buildings be-" the soldier's cries were cut short as a bullet speared straight through his head, his blood splattered the solders around him.

In an instant, many lives were extinguished, and their numbers were diminishing quickly.

Eren's eyes lit up, like a fire was behind them, his nose flared in anger. He ran and jumped off the building. While mid-air, he brought his hand to his mouth and the last thought that ran through his head was _'No more!'_ before the crack of lightning, temporarily deafening the people nearby, struck Eren and the ground beneath him, creating a cloud of smoke that covered the surrounding area.

Shortly after, another two cracks of lightning rang through the air. One struck the area next to the first and the other landed the other side of the building, which the squads that accompanied Erwin currently resided on top of.

Before the smoke cleared, a blur shot towards the buildings that housed the other Marleyan soldiers, who had shot them in the back. The soldiers were crushed as the debris from the building flew in all directions as the Female Titan bombarded them with heavy strikes with her hardened fists.

Behind her, stood the Attack Titan.

Steam seeped out of Eren's mouth. With his fists clenched, he had eyes for only one person – Reiner. When Marleyan soldiers tried to stop him, Eren did not even hesitate as he stomped the life out of the offending soldiers. Their bodies lay broken around him.

He stood directly in front of Reiner; his hands raised and left leg forward, nearly a replica of Annie's fighting stance.

* * *

Dirk was an average man in a physical sense, but he was a trusted subordinate of Erwin Smith, hence why he led a squad of soldiers on this mission. When he landed on top of the wall and looked out into the grassy fields, his eyes widened when he saw the reported Beast Titan in the distance. Next to the Beast Titan was another Titan, an unusual Titan who, unlike the others, did not stand on its two feet but rather had a quadrupedal form, where it walked on all fours. On its back, it carried large rocks and… _'Is that a little girl?'_

Above the two Titan shifters, there were four large floating objects; easily the size of the Colossal Titan, in terms of length and they were heading towards them.

Then, suddenly the Titan shifters on the ground started running and Dirk's hand shook as he scrambled to pull out his flare gun and loaded it with the red flare. He pointed at the sky and shot. The flare signaled to the Survey Corps soldiers within the town of the imminent danger that was coming their way. This was not a mission to retrieve information any longer, now it was a mission of survival.

Dirk did not even have time to react when he took another look at the large floating objects as an explosion sounded from the object and the spot, where he stood, was nothing but rubble. Many other Survey Corps soldiers suffered the same fate as they too stood and watched the incoming floating objects in confusion and fear.

Zeke looked on, emotionless, as the soldiers that watched them from atop the wall were all decimated until nothing remained except smoke and rubble, of which trickled down from the wall and crashed into the ground beneath.

He looked to the person, who stood atop of Pieck, and asked, "Are you ready Ms. Tybur?"

Willy Tybur's younger sister nodded, her eyes were showing no fear. "I'm ready to fulfill my duty," she replied curtly.

It was not normal for such a young girl to have no fear in the face of battle. _'Perhaps the memories of her predecessors had dampened emotional reaction to this?'_ thought Zeke. _'Just how much can the inherited memories affect our emotions?' _he was genuinely curious but quickly put that thought back into his mind.

He had a mission today; he can be curious later.

Zeke turned towards the towering walls.

_'I can stop this Eren, I can stop this hell, but you must first see the true horror of our ancestry and our father!'_

* * *

Eren wasted no time and went on the offensive. Using his powerful legs, he pushed off the ground, leaving a dent on the ground, and launched himself at Reiner. A strong body kick slams against Reiner's body. Caught off guard, Reiner stumbled backward. Frustrated, Reiner swung his fist at Eren, who easily ducks out of the way and lands a swift hook with his leading hand, quickly followed by a straight right which stuns Reiner as his head snaps back from the impact.

Reiner growled in frustration as he stumbled back once again. Straight away, from the first few hits, Reiner knew he was outmatched. It seemed like Eren had improved since his cadet days, but he had _armour. _So, what was he doing? He could withstand these strikes. He spotted Porco at the corner of his eyes, prowling his way towards them. If only he could hold Eren until Porco gets here.

He planted his feet into the ground and tightened his core. He raised both hands once again. _'Bring it!'_ he screamed in his head.

And Eren did just that. He propelled himself at Reiner and landed a body shot straight away, but Reiner's armour held strong, if just barely. Eren struck Reiner's body again and again until the armour cracked. What was Reiner doing? _'Why is he not attacking?'_ he thought confusedly. Unexpectedly, Eren grabbed both the arms that were protecting Reiner's face and forcibly pried them apart and roared.

It didn't take long for Armin to figure out what Eren wanted. Eren just gave them an opening and was holding it open – an opening for a thunder spear.

They had a limited supply, with the selected only being able to carry two thunder spears each.

With his mind made up, Armin jumped and latched onto Eren with his ODM gear. He jumped and shot forwards, faintly hearing the shout of his name from Mikasa. Once he was close enough, he took his chance and shot.

They struggled for dominance as they battled in the clinch. Reiner spotted the incoming spear and resigned to the fact he would not be able to escape Eren's grasp but there was one thing he could do, _'I'll use it against him!'_ he grabbed Eren's arms in return and swung him with all his strength, now using him like a shield, just like how Eren used him in Trost.

Armin watched in horror as his thunder spear stuck itself on Eren's right shoulder blade and his heart dropped to the pits of his stomach as he was pulled roughly towards Eren when Reiner kicked Eren away.

His life flashed before his eyes. Was this the end for him? All those dreams? The ocean? Seeing the world? Was this the day all of it was extinguished like a fire? He saw Eren's Titan eyes flick towards him and even in that form, he noticed the slight widening of the eyes and the way they seem to show the despair Eren was feeling.

"I'm sorry, Ere-" he started mouthing but ended with a loud grunt as he was roughly pulled off course just as his spear exploded, obliterating Eren's right arm and part of his chest. He managed to catch a glimpse of familiar black hair as he was roughly thrown towards the nearest roof.

He scrambled back up just in time to see Mikasa twist away from him, her motions were smooth and calculated as she launches her own thunder spear straight towards Reiner.

Caught off guard, Reiner only had enough time to bring his arms up to protect his face, but it didn't matter. The thunder spear still latched onto him. _'Oh shit,'_ was the last thought that went through Reiner's mind as the thunder spear exploded, dismembering both his arms and sending him crashing into a building.

Eren grunted as he gingerly got back up on his feet and breathed a sigh of relief, but that moment of relief was cut short when the sounds of feet and hands slamming against the ground reached his ears. His senses spiked and he twisted his body around just in time to see the Jaw Titan launch himself, jaws open, at him.

Tired, weary, and missing the right side of his body, Eren could only raise his remaining arm to protect his face, bracing for impact.

But it never came.

Porco was violently struck, the force sending him hurtling into a building, which collapsed on top of him. Once he was able to pry off the debris that was blocking his vision, what he saw filled him with shock and unimaginable anger.

Annie stood in front of Eren, her eyes trained on Porco; emotionless, lazy, and cold.

Then suddenly, everyone froze as a large shadow cast over them.

Annie looked up and couldn't believe her eyes. Unadulterated fear flowed through her body. _'Blimps? Zeke and Pieck…'_ she hadn't seen a blimp in years but if Marley had something in the sky at this moment… how will they get out of this? They were not trained for combat in the air. With Zeke and Pieck now joining the fight, along with the blimps, surely the tides have turned to Marley's side.

Annie's eyes widened as a flash of lightning struck the ground in front of her, instigating the start of another Titan transformation. She watched as another Titan was built, this time from the _ground up_. Where the hell did it come from? _'There was no one in front of me!'_

She took a step back and couldn't help but admire the new Titan. Its entire body covered in hardened Titan flesh. Its face covered with the same material, except there were strips of openings on its eyes and mouth. Her observations were cut short as the Titan seemingly created a War Hammer out of the flesh that covered its body and swung it down at her but she managed to scramble away just in time as the War Hammer slammed against the ground.

Annie had no time to recover. She saw a glimpse of rock before it slammed into her at supersonic speeds. The damage was instant. Chunks of flesh flew off her Titan body as she was sent flying backward, skidding across the ground.

Eren fared no better as he was struck the same way moments after.

The Survey Corps had their own battle as the Titan shifters fought. More Marleyan soldiers came out of various buildings, while the soldiers within the walls parachuted down after decimating the Survey Corps soldiers who went to check.

Explosions of thunder spears and the bangs of gunshots deafened the area that surrounded the epicentre of the battle.

Erwin cast his eyes over to the main battle, through the window of the building he was currently taking cover in and noticed their Titan shifters were down. His focus switched back to the battle that was in front of him. What could they do? The Survey Corps were forced to spread out, scattered around the area. It was chaos, there was no more organisation, no command, no plan. They had thunder spears, which were limited and only a few remained. Their Titan killing swords were no match for guns, all hope seemed lost.

_'Think Erwin. Think!' _he thought to himself. He just needed _something_.

Then it clicked.

The plan that he made with Eren if everything goes south. It was when everyone was off at the feast. It could work.

The last resort.

_Flashback_

_"Commander," greeted Eren._

_Erwin nodded in acknowledgment. "Eren, you wanted to speak?"_

_"Yes, I needed to discuss with you a 'Last resort' plan," stated Eren._

_"Last resort?"_

_Eren nodded. "Yes. In case it goes all wrong. It will be our final option, something that will get us out."_

_"I had that in mind too, but battle is unpredictable. Even the current plan we have in place will be thrown off course, I'm certain of it. I trust in my own intuition and I trust that my subordinates will follow my command, I think that would be the best option. We don't have the resources to have another plan," Erwin replied._

_"I understand Commander," Eren started saying. "But there is something that I can do. Something that will be high risk, but it will get us out and that's what counts. I'm sure of it."_

_"Okay, I'm listening. What do you have in mind?" asked Erwin._

_"I'm sure you've read the reports. I have the power of the Colossal Titan within me," Eren said._

_Erwin nodded in confirmation. "Yes, I'm aware of that fact."_

_"What you don't know is that one of the Colossal Titan's abilities is their control over their transformation," said Eren._

_"Transformation? What do you mean by that?" asked Erwin._

_Eren made an exploding motion with his hand to emphasise his words, "Big bang."_

_"The explosion? The Colossal can control the explosion when it transforms?"_

_Eren nodded._

_"But why couldn't we do that straight away? Unless…" started Erwin. "The explosive damage is so great that it would level everything around you. Meaning… if we're not far away enough, we would be killed…"_

_"That's right. I imagine it will take a heavy toll on me, possibly making me useless," replied Eren. "So, we need to go in assuming it's one use only."_

_Eren remembered the first time he had tried in his own reality. It seems like while he gained the explosive transformation ability of the Colossal Titan, he did not gain its body. So when he tried the transformation, his 15 metre form could not hold up and he was hospitalised for days after. It was after that was when Jean decided the transformation should only ever be used as a last resort._

_"I'll keep it in the back of my mind. We will only use it if there is truly no way out," said Erwin. "Why have you decided to keep this ability away from us until now?"_

_Eren smiled softly. "Because… if it fails, we will pay a heavy price. We may find ourselves in a situation where our numbers are too low to fight back, and I am too weak. So, if it comes to it. I must do it alone. You must retreat before I unleash such an explosion. I must be the only one to suffer the consequence of failure. Otherwise, we will be finished," he said. "And because of that, I know my friends will fight against me for choosing such an option but for their safety and the future of our people; I'm willing to make that sacrifice. I just don't want them to fight against me for choosing it if it does come to that."_

_Erwin's expression softened. "I can understand that."_

_"Thank you, Commander," replied Eren._

_Flashback end_

Erwin looked around. He needed to get the message to Eren.

At that moment, Levi crashed through the door, taking cover next to Erwin. His breathing was heavy, blood dripped from the head, his hands were blood-soaked and the blades of his swords were covered in crimson red.

"Erwin, what's the plan?!" he shouted over the gunfire.

"I need you to send a message to Eren!" Erwin shouted in return.

"What message?!"

"Big bang! Tell him these words then head to the basement! I will gather anyone that is still alive, and we'll be there, in the basement!" said Erwin.

"Why?!" Levi looked confusedly at Erwin.

"Just do it! Just trust me!"

Levi paused for a moment before replying, "Fine! Give me your remaining thunder spear!" As soon as he got the thunder spear from Erwin, he shot out of the window using his ODM gear, swerving and weaving around the battlefield and towards the Titan shifters.

Levi saw Eren trying to stand up. He shot towards Eren's nape at a blistering speed and with two precise slices, he cut Eren out and swung behind the closest building just before a barrage of Anti-Titan shells struck Eren's Titan, decimating it in an instant.

Eren grunted as he was slammed against a wall.

Levi wasted no time as he began to speak, "Eren, the Commander told me to tell you these two words, 'Big bang'."

Eren's eyes widened before nodding. He hastily took the basement key off his neck and gave it to Levi. "Take this and get Mikasa and Armin," he said, nearly pleading. "Mikasa and Armin is over there, on that roof," he pointed towards them. "Get Annie to help you retreat, she will listen."

Levi nodded. "I will," he said. "But what is it? What's 'Big bang'?"

"Last resort plan. Big explosion. No time to explain. Just go!" shouted Eren.

Eren wasted no time as he turned away from Levi and ran towards the Titan shifters. He faintly heard the noise of three ODM gear zipping away behind him and he let out a breath in relief. _'At least Mikasa and Armin are out.'_

Eren saw Levi briefly landing on Annie's shoulder, launching his remaining thunder spear at the ground in front of them, which were closely followed by another two from Mikasa and Armin, it created a screen of smoke. Once it was cleared, Annie's Titan body fell forward and started disintegrating.

It was clear where she went as a crack of lightning lit up the sky, this time landing a good distance away from the Titan shifters.

It was time.

"Brother!"

That got their attention.

Zeke raised one of his long arms, signaling a stop to the other shifters and the soldiers on the Blimps above, who had now trained their Anti-Titan guns at Eren. The other shifters slowly surrounded him, each of them was still twitchy and wary of Eren.

Eren raised his hands in surrender and dropped to his knees. "I give up, no more… I want no more."

Zeke walked forward. "Brother… I do not wish to kill you. You can join me, let me save you…"

_'You always had a soft spot for me and that will be your downfall, Zeke… you're my brother only in blood but my family is here and will always be here,' _thought Eren.

Eren bowed his head. "Our father, he made me into this… save me… please,"

Zeke's eyes softened as he got closer. He understood all too well what kind of man their father was. It was no surprise to him that Grisha would do the same thing to Eren. It was no surprise that he would neglect Eren and force him to believe in his ideals.

_'Please be safe Mikasa… Armin…'_

"Brother, come with us, we can help you," Zeke said.

He was met with silence.

Confused, Zeke cautiously said, "Eren?"

Lightning started to crackle around Eren as his body lit up. Eren raised his head and looked Zeke straight in the eye.

For Zeke, at that moment, it truly felt like looking into the eyes of the Devil himself.

"War-Chief!" shouted Pieck as she sprinted towards Zeke.

"I will _never_ be on your side!" growled Eren.

The last thing that Zeke saw, before he was bitten out of the nape, was a huge bolt of lightning striking Eren, which was followed by a thunderous boom as an explosion of an unimaginable magnitude produced a huge mushroom cloud that covered Shiganshina in a sheet of darkness. Nearly all buildings were destroyed, debris flew away from the epicentre of the explosion at frightening speeds. And then…

Silence.

* * *

**A/N – I hope you enjoyed reading! Please leave review! Any criticism or praise let me know! I'm always looking to improve! ** **Thank you for reading and stay safe everyone!**


	8. Aftermath

**A/N Hello! Next chapter is here!**

**Edit 31/08/2020 - Thank you to the person that pointed out the little hole in my story in regards to the hole in the wall in Shiganshina. I've made a small edit to fix this.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Aftermath**

Confusion marked the faces of those that took shelter down in the basement. The retake had quickly taken an ugly turn and most of their comrades had perished in the battle that had just transpired. The soldiers were scattered around, each carrying different injuries as they awaited Erwin's next command, but he was silent as he kept his eyes on the door, his face showing nothing but indifference.

Suddenly, the door slammed open to reveal the forms of Levi, Mikasa, Armin, and Annie.

"Erwin, Eren is ready," informed Levi, though he did not fully understand what Eren was about to do.

Erwin nodded in response. "You two block the door!" he commanded.

The soldiers in question scrambled to push the closest cabinet to cover the entrance, blocking the door except for the few cracks that existed on the imperfect cabinet. This action caused a spike of panic to rise within Mikasa and Armin.

"What are you doing?! What about Eren?!" shouted Mikasa. Her eyes were frantic as she tried to remove the blockage.

"Mikasa! Stop!" Levi grabbed and held her, but she struggled against his grip.

Armin's own frantic eyes turned to Erwin. "Commander, what's happening? We can't just let Eren…" the rest of his words was caught in his throat as his vision was momentarily blinded by a light that had penetrated the cracks in the blockage.

Everybody held their breath.

Nothing but silence existed in that basement during that very moment.

Then an ear-deafening explosion shook the very ground they stood on as if the world were splitting apart. People scrambled to hold on to anything sturdy, as the rumbling ground threatened to take away their balance.

Eventually, the world around them calmed, but the silence that followed was anything but calming.

Armin was the first to speak. "Commander… that was Eren, wasn't it?" he asked.

The look Erwin gave Armin was all Armin needed.

Armin swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. "Is… is he going to be okay?"

He was met with a moment of silence before Erwin replied, "I don't know, I'm sorry."

Armin stood there; his arms fell limply against his sides as he understood the implications to Erwin's answer.

"Mikasa?!"

He was taken out of his trance by Jean's panicked voice. He turned to see Mikasa gripping her head while she grimaced in pain. Levi, Jean, Sasha, and Connie were by her side, all worried after she unexpectedly collapsed. He hurried to her side and dropped to his knees; his arms wrapped around Mikasa's shoulders as she continued to voice her pain.

"My head… it hurts…" her voice trembled as she spoke.

"What's wrong with her Armin?" Jean voiced everyone's thoughts.

Armin continued to hold her, his hands stroking her shoulders, trying to give her some comfort. "She has always had these headaches ever since I met her. I do not know why, and we never had the time to look, but this… I've never seen her in so much pain."

"Is there anything that we can do?" asked Jean, worry clear in his tone.

Armin shook his head. "There was only one person who could help her. These symptoms always seem to lessen if she was around-"

"Eren," finished Jean.

Armin nodded.

Hange crouched down beside them, her eyebrows slightly scrunched up in curiosity. "Then, let's go to him," she turned to Erwin. "I can take them up and we will scout out the area. I hope you and Levi are okay to search for what we came here for?"

Erwin nodded. "Levi and I will get what we need," he replied.

With Erwin's acceptance, Hange turned to help Mikasa stand, faintly hearing Erwin giving orders to the soldiers that were scattered around the basement.

Jean and Connie pushed the cabinet to one side, the wooden cabinet scraped against the wooden floor: leaving marks and wood dust in its path. Once that was out of the way, Jean breathed in heavily before gently pulling the door open, it creaked and struggled against the friction of the ground but eventually; it revealed the black smoke that floated over the trapdoor and the sound of cackling of fire that awaited them on the surface.

* * *

_'Mikasa…'_

He took huge gulps of air, his lungs burned as his body fought for more oxygen.

_'Armin…'_

The air felt shallow, as if he were on top of a mountain.

_'Jean…'_

He tried to move his limbs, but they would not budge. They felt so weak, like they were sinking into the ground.

_'Anyone… is anyone there?'_

All he could see was the darkness, his body felt so light… it felt good just sinking into the abyss, almost like sleeping in a soft bed. That would be nice…

** _'_ ** _Sleep does sound really good right now…'_

* * *

Mikasa's eyes frantically scanned the area as soon as she stepped onto the surface, its ground no longer covered in green grass and mossy cobble. The area was unrecognisable. Most of the buildings that stood only moments ago were nothing but rubble, but this also made it easier to find her target: Eren.

_'Why Eren?'_ Why did he always seem to get further away from her? She had done everything in her power to stay by his side, but he just keeps leaving her behind, slowly fading away in the distance.

A body caught her vision and she inhaled sharply when recognition lit up behind her eyes. _'There!'_ she instantly broke out in a sprint towards the body that lied unmoving in the middle of an enormous crater.

"Eren…" her words came out as a whisper as she dropped to her knees. "Why?"

The sounds of her surroundings fell away into the distance as her mind muffled everything except the person in front of her. He lied there burnt, barely recognisable, yet there was no doubt this was him. Despite his state, there was hope in the form of steam as his injuries slowly healed and this thought brought a little relief to Mikasa.

Armin came to a stop next to Mikasa. "Eren…" he muttered when he saw Eren's injuries. Like Mikasa, his senses muffled, and he did not resist when Hange lightly pushed him out of the way to check on Eren's injuries.

Hange released a relieved breath. "He will be fine. He is healing but will need a lot of rest. Get him on the wagon."

Mikasa placed a hand on Eren's arm, intent on picking him up. Suddenly, Eren grabbed her arm, making her gasp in surprise. Her own eyes widened when she laid them upon the intensity of Eren's.

"Z-Zeke… Don't let him escape…" his voice was raspy as he spoke. As soon as he uttered out his words, his grip slackened, and his arm flopped to the ground.

Her face scrunched up in confusion. "Zeke?"

"His brother," Annie spoke up. "I'll look for him," she did not wait for a reply as she turned away from the group.

"Brother? When did Eren have a brother?" asked Mikasa, turning towards Armin, hoping that he would have an answer.

Armin shook his head. "Eren never mentioned a brother," he said. "But Eren's father did have a life before Shiganshina, which means this Zeke was in Marley this whole time, which explains why Annie knows. We will just have to ask him."

Mikasa nodded and looked back at Eren's unconscious form before lifting him up.

"Mikasa, he is going to be okay," Armin tried to reassure her.

Mikasa nodded before continuing her walk. She knew he was going to be okay, but that was not the problem. They had gotten closer ever since he had woken up, but there seemed to be so many more secrets between them.

She shook her head free from these thoughts and looked down at her best friend, who lied unconscious in her arms. That did not matter right now. He needed to heal and rest. Everything else can come after.

As she walked, she noticed Hange and members of her own squad capture Reiner, an unknown blonde boy with slicked-back hair, and a younger girl with dark wavy hair that was kept behind her head in a bun.

_'More shifters,'_ she thought absent mindedly. How did everything get so complicated?

When she finally arrived at the wagon, built to hold the injured, she settled down beside Eren after she had carefully laid him down. Taking off her scarf, she carefully folded it before gently placing it behind Eren's head.

She looked up in the smoke covered sky.

_'When will this hell end?'_

* * *

"Annie… you traitor…"

Annie froze as a barely conscious Pieck spoke to her.

"Where is Zeke?" asked Annie.

Pieck coughed a few times before replying, "Gone."

Annie stayed silent as she scouted the area, looking for any sign of Zeke, but it seemed like Pieck had told the truth.

"Your father… your father will die for this," Pieck said as she looked up at Annie.

Those words triggered something inside of Annie and what she did next, she was not in control of. She caught sight of a gun that lied close to her. She bent and picked it up. After making sure it was loaded, she walked close to Pieck in a trancelike state and aimed it at her head.

"No…" her voice was monotone as she spoke. "Because you're not going to tell Marley what I had done."

Slowly, her finger squeezed, but just before she could completely pull the trigger, an arm knocked the gun away and her bullet wheezed past Pieck and hit the ground beside her.

"Annie! What are you doing! We need her alive!" shouted Jean, who had followed her when she turned away from the group earlier. His hand now gripping Annie's arm painfully, not allowing her to make any more drastic movements.

The gun clattered against the ground as Annie looked at Jean in surprise.

"I..." she tried to explain herself, but she could not find the words.

Jean let go of her arm in annoyance. "Tch, save your breath, I heard everything."

He wasted no more time as he knocked Pieck out cold and tied her up. He picked up Pieck and started making his way towards the wagon, Annie walking silently beside him, an awkward silence befalling between the two.

"I still hate you," Jean suddenly said.

Annie did not reply with anything but a nod. She expected nothing else but hatred from Jean.

Jean was not finished as he carried on speaking. "But this is bigger than our personal feelings. Eren saved you for a reason and I trust him, despite our differences. So, I am putting my feelings aside for the good of our people and I expect you to do the same and not repeat what you just did. Is that understood?" his voice was stern and strained as he spoke like every word took a huge effort to release.

Annie looked wide-eyed at Jean as she replied, "I understand..."

"And stop looking at me," growled Jean as he sped up his movements, not wanting to be close to Annie any longer.

Annie could not hold the slight smile that broke out on her face.

* * *

Erwin and Levi stepped out of the basement, having found the items they were looking for. Truth tightly gripped in Erwin's hand; the truth of their world, the outside world, and the horrors they will face.

_'What will it take for us to break free from these walls?'_ Erwin looked up at the smoke-covered sky as he pondered the future and what was in store for them. _'This was only the beginning; we have barely scratched the surface, that much is clear.'_

Along with Levi, he reunited with his soldiers, who awaited them near the wagons.

"Erwin," greeted Hange. "Did you get what we came here for?"

Erwin nodded, handing over the three books to Hange.

She looked at the cover and muttered their names to herself. 'The Early Life of Grisha Yeager' was the first book, then it was 'The Extent of Our knowledge of Titans and Their History', followed by 'Information About the World Beyond the Walls'.

"All the answers… are in these books," her heart thumped excitedly against her chest at the thought of gaining all this knowledge. "I need to read everything as soon as we get back!"

Erwin chuckled amusedly at the excited nature of one of his most trusted subordinates. "We all will, Hange."

Despite the events that had just transpired and many lives that were lost as a result, Erwin could not help but feel satisfied. Satisfied that his father's theory of the world beyond the walls were proven true, there was proof. This dream he had shared with his father came to fruition, and this made every sacrifice worth it. He never thought this day would come, but now that it had, it was time for a new goal.

No longer was the goal to overcome the Titans. No. For his people to survive, they now must overcome the hatred of the world around them. That was his goal now; to break free from these walls and assert their rightful place among the people of the outside world.

Erwin looked around at the surrounding destruction. Corpses littered the streets; a historic battle had taken place here. His eyes hardened as he looked past the fire, the corpses, the smoke, and through the huge hole in the wall of Shiganshina that reminded them of how this hell had started.

He whipped around, facing his soldiers. "Soldiers! Today, we accomplished what our predecessors had failed! We made sure the deaths of our comrades were not in vain!" his eyes were blazing as he spoke. "But this… this is only the beginning. I do not yet know how or when, but these walls that surround us will come down! That is my promise!"

* * *

Once Annie plugged up the hole that started the hell of the last five years, the survivors of the battle began their journey back home. The journey had been silent. The Survey Corps had lost most of its forces, they got what they came for but most of the soldiers only thought of the sacrifices that were made to get there and who can blame them? Many lives were cut short in that battle. Friends. Family. The remaining few now had to live in a reality where the friends they made during training were no longer a part of, no longer breathing, living, creating memories. Only corpses that littered the ground of Shiganshina, slowly being swallowed by nature.

Was it worth it? Was the truth _that_ important? Was freedom worth all this sacrifice? Couldn't they live happily in ignorance of the world around them? These questions ran through the heads of the living few.

For Jean, the answer was difficult. He valued the lives of others and if he were to be put in Erwin's position; he was not sure if he could make the same sacrifices. In the eyes of others, he was self-centred but in reality, he probably valued others more than most, his morals made him hesitant to take human life, whether that was by his own hand or through sacrifice it didn't matter, but he had put all that aside for the sake of his friends. So, was it worth it? No. Was it necessary to survive? Yes.

Escaping the hatred of the world around them, it was idealistic and not at all realistic. Yet, Jean could not help but believe that they could.

Jean scowled as he eyed the unconscious form of Eren from where he sat on the wagon. _'It's all your fault. Rubbing your idealistic shit on me.'_

Jean closed his eyes, relaxing his tense shoulders as he rode the soft bumps of the ground.

Before he could fully relax, a cough came from their resident Titan shifter, breaking him out of whatever relaxing place he had imagined himself in.

Scowling, he watched Mikasa move straight to Eren's side. "How is he?" he asked, though he would never admit it to Eren, he was worried.

"He's burning up," Mikasa replied, worry clear in her voice.

Sighing, he moved from his comfortable position and moved to Eren's side, opposite of Mikasa.

"Let's remove his jacket," Jean suggested, already moving to do so.

Mikasa nodded in agreement, moving to help Jean. As they continued to gently shift and move Eren's body, they did not notice the way his eyes shifted left and right frantically.

_"I can't do it…" Eren whispered, his eyes staring up at the ceiling, unfeeling and detached from the world. The fire that used to fill them to the brim was nothing but a speck._

_Jean sat silently by his bedside, watching his last surviving friend wallowing in self-pity._

_"I'm useless."_

_Jean tensed, his eyes narrowing._

_"I'm weak."_

_His hands now turned into fists, clenching so tight that his nails dug into the skin of his palm, drawing a little blood._

_"Mikasa… Armin… are both dead because of me."_

_Jean snapped._

_"You shut your fucking mouth!" shouted Jean, his nose flaring and his breaths were heavy as he shot up from his seat, the sudden movement sent the chair flying backwards._

_Jean, not caring that Eren was not exactly in the best condition to get roughed up, grabbed Eren by the collar of his shirt and pulled him forcibly closer._

_"Stop wallowing in self-pity Yeager! It is making me sick! What happened to you?" Jean spat out. "What happened to the unbreakable determination? What happened to never giving up?"_

_Eren looked away from Jean. He was caught by surprise when he felt a fist connect with his face, sending his head snapping backwards before he was once again faced with the anger-filled Jean._

_"Freedom… it was always about freedom for you. That was the source of your determination, but now… now you are just fighting for revenge. You run into every fight expecting to die, like a dumb fucking Titan! But guess what?" Jean breathed in deeply, trying to calm his voice. "Dying won't save you from the pain, you'll carry it to your grave. So, forget about revenge and fight for the future… The future that Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, and Connie were all fighting for. They all died fighting for the freedom that you craved for our people. So, do it. Do it for their sake, make their deaths worthwhile… and… I'll be there every step of the way."_

Gasping, Eren's eyes shot open, but he remained only semi-conscious. The first face he saw was Jean, who had an expression of surprise, and he was not even aware that he had gripped Jean's arm.

"J-Jean? Why is… Why is your hair so short? W-Why do you look so young…?" Eren's voice was slurred as he spoke.

Jean did not even get a chance to voice his confusion before Eren's grip on him slackened and he returned to his unconscious state. He turned to Mikasa, who looked at him in confusion.

"What was that?" he muttered.

* * *

Few more days had passed since the battle. The people of the walls were buzzing upon hearing the news of the Survey Corp's successful mission. This news also brought anticipation. Anticipation for the information that this mission will bring to the public regarding the outside world.

This success also meant towns that were abandoned, when Wall Maria was breached, were ready to be repopulated and rebuilt, this included Shiganshina, which was the hardest hit of the outer wall towns. Once these towns are populated, it would release the chokehold on supplies and housing that all the people of the walls faced because of overpopulation, because of the mass evacuation that took place on that fateful day. Even though many lives were sacrificed by the military to combat this, the overpopulation problem persisted, be it at a smaller scale.

Erwin and Hange have spent all this time reading and reviewing the books Grisha Yeager had left for Eren to find. It was extraordinary to learn of their people's history and the world that exists outside these walls. Despite this knowledge, Erwin noticed one repeating theme: Hate.

Grisha Yeager's journey started because of the hate he had felt after the death of his younger sister, Faye Yeager. The world around them hated them, the people of Paradis. It was shocking to read that Marley was one of the more lenient countries in terms of the treatment of Eldians.

The future will be a _very_ bumpy road. Everything that Eren had told him was true but there were two pieces of information that Eren had kept from him; the owner of the Founding Titan and the Curse of Ymir.

That was how Erwin found himself by Eren's bedside. They were alone, having sent Mikasa and Armin out, amid the subtle protest of Mikasa.

"How is your recovery going?" asked Erwin.

Eren grimaced, the explosion had affected him more than he had expected. "I'm feeling better but still too weak to be doing any training."

Erwin nodded, glad to hear he was at least recovering.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here today," Erwin started saying. "There was something I wanted to confirm after I read the books your father had left behind."

Eren looked at Erwin, his face displaying no emotion, but he gave a hesitant nod of understanding, urging Erwin to continue.

"Were you aware your father was the previous holder of the Founding Titan?" asked Erwin.

Eren tensed but nodded.

"So, you know that _you_ are the Founding Titan?"

"Yes," replied Eren.

Erwin leaned back in his chair. "Why did you not tell me?"

"If you have read my father's books, then you know that a person with no royal blood cannot use the Founding Titan's full abilities, but a holder with royal blood is held back by the King's will. But what my father did not know was that the full abilities of the Founding Titan can be unlocked if I had direct contact with a Titan or Titan shifter of royal blood, solving the issue of the King's will," explained Eren.

Erwin listened attentively, this was an opportunity, it meant that its abilities _could_ be utilized.

"There is only one person alive with that blood behind these walls; Historia," revealed Eren. "I hid this information because I wanted to protect Historia. You and I both know that the higher-ups will not hesitate to sacrifice Historia to unlock this power. Whether inside or outside these walls, humanity is the same."

Erwin suddenly remembered something Grisha Yeager had written. "That was why you were so desperate to capture the Beast Titan… because the shifter is Zeke Yeager, your half-brother, who has royal blood and is also a shifter, ticking every requirement needed for you to fully use the Founding Titan."

"Yes, that was why we needed him."

Erwin frowned; this was a problem.

"Commander… I request that this information is kept between us," said Eren.

"I have no intention of sacrificing Historia," Erwin replied in a resolute tone.

Eren sighed in relief, smiling softly. "Thank you, Commander."

Erwin stood up, preparing to leave, but before he did, he wanted to know one more thing. "How many years left?" his voice was quiet, but Eren heard it.

Eren looked down. He had buried the curse so deep in his mind that he has not thought about it in months, but he knew eventually he would have to face reality. "Eight."

Erwin nodded and looked at Eren apologetically. No one should carry that burden. He turned to leave but was surprised to find the door ajar, the pale faces of Armin and Mikasa staring past him; at Eren.

"W-What do you mean you have eight years left?" Armin asked shakily.

Eren froze, he had wanted to save them from the pain. "Armin… Mikasa… I…" he hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"Eren… please tell me we heard wrong… please…" pain filled Armin's usually bright eyes.

When Eren stayed silent, tears fell from Armin's eyes. His best friend was going to die in eight years. What kind of future was that?

A whimper echoed in the silent room. "No…" Mikasa swayed on her feet. "No… it can't be true… my head, it hurts…" her voice drifted off like the wind as she collapsed.

"Mikasa!" Eren shouted, instantly jumping out of his bed despite the deep ache that racked his entire body.

* * *

**A/N – Shorter chapter than normal. Next chapter, I plan to address Mikasa's headaches.**


	9. Trauma

**A/N Hello! This chapter will address Mikasa's headaches. It is less fantasy and nothing to do with her Ackerman genes. I never believed Eren's reasoning for her headaches in the manga and the latest chapter basically confirmed this for me. There is a logical cause for her headaches though, and I'm sure many others have this exact thought too.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Trauma**

Eren grunted slightly at the weight as he lifted Mikasa off the ground and gently placed her on the bed he was spending his nights recovering in, making sure that her head doesn't make any sudden movements as he laid her down on the soft pillow.

"I'll get Hange," Erwin said before promptly leaving the room.

Eren's face scrunched up in worry and confusion as he gently ran his fingers through her hair, trying to give her any comfort he could. What happened? She did not react like this the last time the curse was revealed to her, so why now? Why did she react so badly this time around?

_'Why do you have these headaches, Mikasa?'_ In his own reality, he had said that it was her true self trying to resist whatever it was compelling her to protect him. That was a lie to distance himself from her because there wasn't any evidence of this compulsion to begin with. Zeke had said the reason she goes through thick and thin for him was not because of any instincts compelling her to do so, but it was simply because of how much she cared about him.

He had to admit, his brother Zeke was probably the person that knew the most about the Ackerman's history that he had come across. If there was no evidence that these headaches were part of what made the Ackermans so strong, then what was causing her this much pain?

The Ackermans did have the power to manifest the power of the Titans as humans and these powers were awakened when their survival instincts were triggered and in Mikasa's case, this was triggered the night she was kidnapped. They had their own paths and through that, every Ackerman that had awakened their power gained the battle experience of every Ackerman before them. Mikasa and Levi were perfect soldiers, products of a genetically engineered bloodline.

But the mind and one's emotions can never be controlled; in turn, the actions of every individual cannot be controlled the way he had suggested to Mikasa. Locked away and manipulated? Yes. But never fully controlled. The Ackerman's were proof of that. Where every other Subject of Ymir could have their mind wiped or altered by the power of the Founding Titan, the Ackerman's were immune to that kind of manipulation.

Before he could continue his thoughts, he heard hurried footsteps increasing in volume, getting closer and closer to the room they were in.

_'Hange… perhaps she could explain this.'_

With hurried movements, Hange and Levi instantly appeared by Mikasa's bedside as soon as she arrived. Erwin arrived moments after them.

"What happened?" she asked no one in particular, not pausing her movements as she continued to check up on Mikasa.

It was Erwin who answered. "Mikasa and Armin overheard Eren and I talking about the Curse of Ymir, which then caused Mikasa to suffer a headache and collapse."

Hange nodded, her face scrunched up in thought. _'Headaches, again…'_ She has been pondering over these headaches ever since that incident in the basement. A headache by itself could be caused by many things but from what she has seen, she only suffers these headaches in the face of events that threatens Eren's life, but she must ask Mikasa, she needed more insight to these headaches if she was to diagnose her.

Hange turned to Eren, a sudden thought crossing her mind. "Eren, the day her parents were killed, what exactly happened?" asked Hange.

Eren hesitated, uncomfortable with recalling that day. "I thought there was already a report on what happened to her parents."

Hange nodded. "Yes, there is a report, but it does not say more than that Mikasa was kidnapped by human traffickers and you two had somehow killed all three. What I want to know is what_ exactly_ happened. I understand this is delicate information, but if my thoughts are on the right direction, then this is important for diagnosing Mikasa and perhaps her recovery."

Armin straightened in his chair. Even he did not know the full details of what happened.

Eren slouched in his chair. "I'll tell you… I wasn't there when it happened but when dad and I went to the Ackerman house, all we found was blood and her parent's bodies… Mikasa was already gone by that point. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Mikasa had seen the murder of her parents. My dad always told me she was cheerful and lively, but the day I met her; she was none of those things, and she never became what I had envisioned of how she would be. Nearly emotionless, even… It's not hard to imagine what caused it…" Eren breathed in deeply. His hands shook against his lap. "I went looking after them. I was so angry… so angry that these people were trying to take away Mikasa's life when she had done nothing wrong. The rest was history."

"Thank you Eren," Hange turned back to Mikasa after absorbing this new information.

_'Traumatic event… Emotional numbing… Headaches that triggers when Eren's life is in danger, perhaps it is not limited to Eren's life. Not only that, during her time in the Survey Corps, Mikasa had displayed destructive behaviour when it concerns Eren wellbeing. All are symptoms of a mental disorder nearly all soldiers face, though at a more complex level,' _Hange nodded to herself as the dots connected, she'll need more information from Mikasa herself but this was not the first time she had seen these symptoms. Hange was not the head of research for no reason. Even if her focus was on Titans, she was not ignorant of the issue's soldiers faced, especially psychological issues. After all, she was a soldier herself.

Hange nodded to herself, standing up. Satisfied with her diagnosis and reasoning. "She's likely to be suffering from a complex case of trauma. Many soldiers suffer from this, but in Mikasa's case, this probably started during the night of her parent's murder and her kidnapping."

Eren's eyes widened. Was the answer right in front of them this whole time?

"What about the headaches?" asked Eren.

"They're symptoms. When she sees something happen that reminds her of the trauma she faced as a kid, to her it must feel like reliving the moments her parents died in front of her and this can trigger physical symptoms. For Mikasa, that was the headaches," explained Hange.

Eren turned to look at Mikasa's resting face as worry washed through him. She had been suffering from these headaches ever since he had known her, and if this was something that he can help her with before he was gone, then that was what he would do.

"How does she get better?" asked Eren, his hands gently stroking her hair as she slept.

Hange thought for a moment before asking, "Has she ever talked about what happened? Has she even visited her parent's graves?"

Eren shook his head.

"Then perhaps, that can be the first step to take. She's a strong person, but inside she is still just an innocent girl who witnessed the murder of her parents. She needs closure because even if she doesn't realise it, she's still clinging on to her past and as long as she doesn't make peace with what happened, she can never truly recover from it."

Eren watched as Mikasa shifted against his touch, nuzzling against the palm of his hand.

"Then that's what we will do," he whispered.

* * *

Eren and Armin sat in silence, on each side of Mikasa as she continued to rest, unaware and at peace.

"Eight years…"

Eren's eyes snapped to Armin.

"Why? Why are you trying so hard for the people of the island if you're not even going to be alive to experience it?" questioned Armin.

Eren stayed silent.

Armin finally looked at Eren, fresh tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Y-you should be enjoying the little time you have left. You should be experiencing things like normal teenagers would in the little time you-"

"No."

That seemed to shake Armin out of his panicked rant as he seemed to slump against his chair as reality came crashing down on him. "Of course, you're Eren, you would never die without fighting."

"Armin, it doesn't matter to me if I'm not going to experience it."

"Then why?"

Eren smiled. "Isn't it obvious?" questioned Eren. "For you two."

"For us?"

"It doesn't matter that I won't get to see the result of what we worked towards if you two can experience it," he glanced at Mikasa briefly before turning back to Armin. "If you and Mikasa can live your lives, exploring and doing the things you always wanted, then that's enough reason for me to carry on fighting for the rest of my life."

Armin looked at Eren, almost pleadingly. "But… that's not what we want… how could I live my life if the death of my best friend was needed to make it happen? How can you expect either of us to do that?"

Eren's smile faltered. "You can't always have everything you want in life, right?"

"I don't want it," voiced the only other person in the room, woken up by her best friend's voices.

Mikasa gingerly sat up, feeling a bit disorientated. She rested her back against the bed's headboard and her eyes turned to Eren; they were filled with emotion as she looked at the boy who had given her a second chance at life.

"There must be a way to stop it, there must be…"

Eren's eyes softened. "I'm sorry. It seems my fate has already been decided, but I refuse to leave this world without taking care of both of you."

Mikasa's eyes broke away from Eren, now downcast. "Why does it have to be you? Why? Why do I feel like the world is always trying to take you away?" her voice quivered as she spoke, unable to stop the raw emotion seeping into her voice.

She gasped slightly when she felt Eren's arms wrap around her and on reflex; she wrapped her own around him. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent as she tightened her hold on him.

"Don't leave me," she whispered against his shoulder.

Eren closed his eyes and stayed silent. He wished he could reassure her, but when did the world ever allowed them anything but pain?

"Then let me be with you for these last eight years," she said in return to his silence.

"Of course, I'll spend my last eight years with you, Mikasa…" he replied, a bit confused.

She shook her head against his shoulder. She opened her eyes, and she was greeted by Armin's gentle smile as he tried to express his support, but she froze, just like she had over the last few months. Whenever it came to actually putting her feelings into words, she always froze.

Why was it so hard? She _wanted_ him to know.

_'I love you,' _she only wished she could say that out loud.

Armin's gentle smile faltered as he watched the scene in front of him.

* * *

After that day, Levi had given Eren, Armin, and Mikasa permission to travel with the builders who were going to Shiganshina to begin the rebuilding process. That was how they found themselves sitting on a wagon, side by side, as it was pulled by horses, occupied by civilians.

Mikasa was anxious. Her heart was pounding against her chest while her sweaty palms gripped onto her shirt like it was her lifeline. Her mind was a battlefield of emotions as she moved closer and closer to where _it_ happened.

What was she supposed to feel? Was the shaking and sweating normal? When did breathing get so difficult? She exhaled shakily as she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling cold. _'Maybe this was a bad idea,' _she thought.

It had been six years since her parents were murdered. Six years since she was kidnapped and then saved by Eren. In truth, she had buried the death of her parents so far deep in her mind, that sometimes she was able to forget what really happened and that was what she _wanted_.

But every time one of her friend's lives were threatened, every time she thought one of them would die, she would see glimpses. Glimpses of what happened _that_ day. Living the life of a soldier provided endless amounts of those moments, and she felt _haunted_. It felt like every corner she turned, every failed move she made, she would see her parent's unmoving bodies and it frightened her, but it was also her source of strength. She had trained so hard during her cadet years, making sure she was strong enough to protect Eren and Armin, then eventually that circle of precious people expanded to include her team. Their safety and livelihood were the most important things in her life.

But what if she wasn't strong enough? What if she wasn't able to protect those important to her? She was afraid that she hasn't changed at all; she was afraid that she was still the little girl who could only watch as her parents were murdered in front of her.

"Mikasa?"

She was broken out of her thoughts by a gentle nudge.

"We're in Shiganshina," Eren said.

She looked around and for a moment; she thought he had been lying, but the events of the last battle came to her. All that existed was rubble and ash, but there were a few untouched areas that she recognised; this was no doubt Shiganshina, their home.

As she walked and observed, one thing was obvious; It was still a battlefield. She could see people scattered around the town, cleaning up bodies and debris. Soldiers were on watch in case of any stray Titans, mostly volunteers from the Military Police or Garrison because of how low the numbers for the Survey Corps were at the moment, but from her journey, there were very few Titan's still alive within these walls.

Everything was a blur from the moment she stepped off the wagon and started walking towards her old home, her once cheerful home.

She doesn't even know how much time had passed, but before she knew it; she was stood outside her old home. When did they arrive? She shivered as an unexplainable chill went down her spine.

She placed a hand on the door handle.

_'It's cold.'_

Then, she felt two familiar hands on top of hers, warming them pleasantly. She looked to her left and right, a great warmth now slowly driving the cold away.

_'Eren… Armin…'_

They didn't have to say anything for Mikasa to realise what they tried to express. They were there for her, like they have been since she first met them. No words could ever describe their importance to her, and she thinks nothing could ever express how much they meant to her.

With a deep breath, she twisted the handle and pushed.

Abandoned.

That's what her old home represented. Dust covered the place like a blanket. Other than the absence of blood, it remained virtually untouched since that day. Placing a tentative finger on the countertop, she dragged her finger gently across it, gathering dust at the tip.

She froze when she spotted a box of sewing equipment on the table, her _mum's_ sewing equipment. As if she was in a trance, she made her way towards it and with shaking hands; she traced the edges of the box. She flinched when something wet splashed against her hands.

Then she dropped it as a sharp pain shot through her head, her hand instantly touching the side of her head as she grimaced. She started to collapse but as she fell backwards; she was stopped as familiar arms wrapped around her from behind. Twisting her head, her headache subsided a little as she realised it was Eren.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, concern clear in the tone of his voice and the way his eyes softened as he looked at her.

Mikasa nodded, trying to steady herself.

After a few moments, she was able to steady herself. Once again, she started moving, but this time; she was drawn to the window that gave them a view of her old garden. But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was the two headstones, which wasn't there six years ago.

She did not dare to tear her eyes away from the two headstones as she steadily walked towards it. The clicking of the door that she unknowingly opened was what brought her out of her trance-like state. When she stepped out into the garden, she couldn't find the strength to move her legs, but something… _someone_ popped into her mind.

She can hear his words in her mind. _'Fight!'_

That's what she did. She fought against the chill that ran down her spine. She fought against the pain that resided inside her heart as she moved closer to the headstones. She fought against the need to collapse. She fought harder than she had ever fought, and she kept moving _forward_ because that's what Eren had always done and that was what she needed to do.

She collapsed onto her knees. She reached with her shaky hand and traced the lines that was etched onto surface of both headstones, her parent's names.

What was she supposed to say?

Eren placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Hey… take your time, we're here for you."

"Can… can I do this alone?" she whispered.

"Of course, we'll be inside," Eren said softly, giving her a last squeeze before walking away, Armin followed closely behind.

She took a deep, shaky breath and exhaled when she heard the door close, attempting to calm the storm of emotions that was brewing in her mind.

"Mum… Dad… I-I miss you both," she choked back a sob as her chest and throat started tightening, but she kept talking. "I wish… I wish I did something back then. If I weren't so weak, so frightened, maybe both of you would be alive right now. Are you watching me right now? I'm not the same girl that I was when you were both alive. I've fought Titans and I've even killed people… Could you two even look me in the face if you were here right now? Would you two be disappointed with the person I had become?

"That day, I had learned how cruel the world was. How unfair it was… why did it have to be you two? Why… Why?! Why… why couldn't it have been someone else? Is it wrong of me to think that? We were happy. What have we ever done to deserve something like that? But I already know what you two would say. You two had raised me better than that, I couldn't wish that on anyone else because no one should have to go through something like that.

"Sometimes, I wonder what life would be like if you two were still here. Would I have still been friends with Eren and Armin? I like to believe so because they are the best of friends that I could have ever asked for. I just… I just wish I had one more chance to see you two… to talk to you two… to tell you two that I love you and you were the best parents anyone could have asked for and even after all these years, I still can't… I still can't accept that both of you are never coming back."

She shook as broken sobs escaped her body and for the first time in six years; she was able to mourn her parent's deaths.

* * *

Eren looked out to see Mikasa shaking uncontrollably as she released every bit of emotion that she had held inside of her since the day her parents were taken away from her. His heart ached as he watched her suffer alone. He went to stand up but was stopped by Armin.

"Don't… she wants to be alone," reasoned Armin.

Eren looked back outside and resisted a little against Armin's grip. "But…"

"Eren, after all these years, has she ever asked to be alone? No. If she asks for it, she means it and we have to respect her wish because we're her friends," Armin said.

Eren sat back down and sighed. "You're right."

He watched as she stopped crying and started talking again. He watched as she occasionally shook, sometimes from the pain, but as the day continued, she shook from occasional laughter as she continued to talk.

The sky that was bright and blue, when they arrived, slowly turned to a pale orange as the dark slowly pushed aside the light.

But when Mikasa came back inside, there was a glimmer of light in her eyes that wasn't there before and her entire posture seems a little more relaxed. It was at that moment that Eren decided the wait was worth it.

* * *

The next time Mikasa stood up was when the sky was already dark. She felt _light;_ she hadn't felt so clear minded in years. Has it already been this long? She had told her parents everything that had happened in her life; it was almost like they were _listening_.

When she stepped back inside, she was met with a worried-looking Eren and Armin. She felt a little guilt creep up her spine for how long she had made them wait.

"Sorry that took so long," she apologised, her voice a bit strained from constant use and crying.

"What? No! That's completely fine!" exclaimed Eren.

"How are you feeling Mikasa?" asked Armin.

She gave them a slight smile. "I feel better," she replied. "Is it… is it okay if we do this again?"

"Whenever we have time, we can come here any time you want," Eren said. "Right? Armin?"

Armin smiled and nodded in support. "Whenever you want Mikasa."

"Thank you both…"

Armin waved his arm. "We're your friends, we'll do anything for you, Mikasa," Armin stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We should get going, we need to get back to the town before the last wagon returning to Headquarters leaves."

Eren went to follow Armin, who had started walking towards the front door, but he was stopped when Mikasa grabbed onto his sleeve.

Surprised, Eren turned to her and when he saw the way her eyes were downturned, he worriedly said, "What's wrong Mikasa? Did you want to stay longer?"

Mikasa shook her head before quietly replying, "Can I speak to you alone before we go?"

Armin looked back and noticed the way Mikasa's hands were fidgeting with her uniform and the light reddish hue that appeared on her cheeks. He smiled.

"I'll wait outside," announced Armin, before quickly making his escape, leaving the Eren and Mikasa alone in her old home.

When Armin left, Eren turned back to Mikasa once again. "What did you want to speak about?" asked Eren.

He was caught off guard when Mikasa uncharacteristically wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey… what's wrong?"

Tears leaked from her eyes, dampening his shoulder. "It's just… in eight years, you'll be taken away from me and it'll be your headstone I'm talking to."

"Mikasa…"

She shook her head against his shoulder. "So, I've decided that there will be no more hiding and if I'm able to make you happy for these last eight years, then I'm going to do exactly that."

"Mikasa? What are you trying to say?" asked Eren, feeling a bit confused.

Armin's words rang through her mind. _"Don't ignore it while you still have a chance…"_ Those were the words Armin had said to her.

"I want to be with you for these last eight years," Mikasa said.

"Of course, you'll be with me… Haven't I told you last time?"

Mikasa shook her head against his shoulder. "I want to be _with _you. Do you understand?"

The implications of her words made him freeze momentarily. In truth, he had not prepared himself for this moment despite the fact he was already aware of her feelings for him, but could he _really_ put her through that pain? Eight years just to be left alone… no one deserved that.

When Eren spoke again, his voice sounded hesitant. "Mikasa… I only have eight years left; I can't put you through that."

"Does it matter?" she replied.

Eren pulled away slightly, just enough so he could look at her face completely. "Of course, it matters! How could I give you something like this when you'll only hurt in the end?"

"It doesn't matter because I'll be hurt either way. Maybe it's selfish, but I can't let you go without you knowing that I-"

Eren gripped her arms tightly. His eyes were closed and his hold shaking slightly. "Don't… it is hard enough as it is."

Mikasa grabbed Eren's hand, causing his grip to loosen. "Eren, you've given me a reason to live and fight after everything in my life was taken away from me. You've given me strength that I never knew I had, and I can never thank you enough for it. You've been fighting so hard so that Armin and I can live happier lives but someone needs to do the same for you… let me stand by your side for these last eight years, let me fight for your happiness as you are fighting for mine."

Her next words froze him completely.

"Please… Just give me this."

He had heard them before… on the day she died.

_"Please… Just give me this," Mikasa whispered as she pulled him closer, drawing him in for a kiss. They moved softly and slowly against each other; the moment was sad but beautiful at the same time. Perhaps it described their relationship perfectly._

_When they parted, she looked at him with tears stained on her cheeks. "I love you, Eren."_

He let out a quivering breath and in that moment he had decided. "Okay."

"Okay?" she questioned the answer, unsure of its meaning.

Eren smiled. "Okay," he repeated.

A reddish tint appeared on Mikasa's cheeks as understanding flashed across her face. She buried her head on his shoulders again, hoping to hide her reaction. In her heart, she knew he couldn't promise her he'll be there for the rest of her life, but that didn't matter. She had already decided that she will be there for the rest of his.

When they finally stepped outside, Armin noticed the way their hands intertwined together, and he smiled.

"Finally, guys…"

"Shut up, Armin."

Armin chuckled, feeling light-hearted despite the situation.

"Let's get going, let's go home."

* * *

**A/N Sorry about the long wait. I actually had like 70% of this written a week after my last update but then I got drowned in work and then I decided to just wait until the latest chapter dropped, which pretty much answered my doubts/questions about the ackerbond. Hope you enjoyed!**


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